FIFA’s thwarted plan that left us weary. Plus: Readers’ NWSL All-Star Game ideas
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Happy Monday! It’s time to believe again. Read to the end to understand what we mean. Today:
😵💫 Who owns soccer?
🗓️ NWSL’s 2027 schedule
🗣️ Readers’ NWSL All-Star ideas
Up first, the week that almost ended soccer as we know it …
Soccer’s Soul at Stake: A week of revelations, rejection and reckoning
If you happened to be away toward the end of last week, don’t worry, you didn’t miss much. Just the near-implosion of soccer’s governing body and all that is wholesome in the sport.
Apparently earning a cool $15 billion from the 2026 World Cup cycle wasn’t enough for FIFA. Don’t mind that we are only weeks removed from the biggest tournament in the history of the sport — the grind (or a different g word) doesn’t stop.
Here’s the “what you missed on Glee” version of it all:
On Tuesday, FIFA announced a proposal for a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprises, that would manage commercial operations for key events like the World Cup. President Gianni Infantino also shared plans to sell 21 percent of the company to private investors. The goal, FIFA said, was to bring in $4.2 billion to be released to member associations.
JP Morgan was the chief adviser on the project, and Thrive Eternal, an investment fund set up by Joshua Kushner (brother of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner), was “expected to lead the proposed investor group.”
In its most rudimentary form, it suggested the World Cup be put up for sale.
The plan was only a proposal and required majority approval from the world’s 211 national associations and FIFA’s 37-member council, which is where things quickly got messy:
By Thursday, the 55 European federations fought back, unanimously vowing to boycott all FIFA competitions unless the FFE project was killed. Women’s competitions, starting with the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland in September and potentially extending to the 2027 World Cup, were first in the line of fire.
Other confederations rejected FIFA’s plan, including Concacaf, where the U.S. resides, but no one else went as far as an all-out boycott. Infantino even lost the support of his senior adviser, former U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro, who quit last week.
The days-long saga that felt much longer came to an end Friday when Infantino said his organization was scrapping the proposal after he “listened carefully to all the views” and realized the project “created divisions of a nature that … are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.” So much for that.
The question now: Can Infantino’s presidency survive this? UEFA is still threatening legal action against FIFA, the English Football Association withdrew its support for Infantino’s re-election (which is up for vote next March), and his current vice president, Victor Montagliani, could challenge his campaign.
A new FIFA president would be a welcome reset for women’s soccer, which has had to listen to Infantino put the onus on women to enact change while only incrementally making improvements within his organization. Meanwhile, Megan Feringa detailed how two women led UEFA’s charge to stand down FIFA.
Meg has more on a weird week in the sport:
Meg’s Corner: Let’s build something different
I don’t think I could have experienced a greater juxtaposition of the two sides of soccer this weekend than watching Infantino’s Icarus moment and the fallout as I traveled to Flint, Mich., to watch the USL2 men’s championship as a fan of Vermont Green.
On my phone, I read about a fight over the soul of the World Cup as fans, players and policymakers stood up to Infantino’s scheme to further commercialize the tournament. It played out in snippy statements, with Infantino forced to back down. I’d read the best parts out to my friends for their real-time reactions. We traveled with a community of more than 150 supporters, friends and family heading 600 miles away on a week’s notice to watch the boys in green win back-to-back titles.
The highest levels of international soccer and local lower-division soccer might look like they have nothing in common beyond the laws of the game and someone lifting a trophy at the end, but the Green have given me such an incredible experience of being able to reconnect with why I love the sport (that’s me in the photo!), and how to be a part of something special as it’s being built — no matter how small people may think it is.
For me, this weekend, both sides were reflections of the true soul of soccer.
For federation presidents, it was about finally drawing an overdue line in the sand on the commercialization and value extraction of the game.
For us in Flint, it was the final night we had with these players as they all scattered to their respective colleges, a celebration of another undefeated season that is always far too fleeting.
For all the hand-wringing over the impact of the World Cup in the U.S, these games matter just as much. My main takeaway from this weekend: We can build something different.
Need to Know: NWSL’s 2027 schedule changes
The NWSL schedule is here! Well, almost. We broke news last week, with this story about the league’s 2027 schedule footprint. While official word is expected later this week, we can give you an exclusive preview of the preview.
For starters, the season is set to start on Feb. 11, three days before the NFL’s Super Bowl. The hope, according to sources, is that the league will be part of the sporting hype in the lead-up to the biggest football game of the year in Los Angeles.
The start date is also a month earlier than previous NWSL seasons, mainly to accommodate the Women’s World Cup break that summer. Playoffs, as they do this year, will start in November and run up to the Championship on Nov. 21 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. A few other notes:
The Challenge Cup, which has recently been a one-off game between the previous year’s NWSL champion and regular-season Shield winner, is expected to return to a preseason format. (Though this is still being finalized.)
The schedule currently includes four midweek matches — two home and two away per club.
The league will pause for the break mandated by the collective bargaining agreement in early June and remain that way until July 30, after the World Cup final.
You can read more about the schedule decisions here.
Feedback Loop: Your thoughts on an NWSL All-Star Game
We asked, and you answered. Should the NWSL have an All-Star Game? Probably. Should it be a mixed-gender match where fun is prioritized? Maybe. Maybe not. We won’t know until we try it. What say you, NWSL?
Before we get into the results, I wanted to highlight a few suggestions we received in our inbox.
💬 Please, no NWSL All-Star: “An NWSL all-star game is an abominable idea, please bury the idea with the NFL game — and what should happen to all of the others. A combined game is an even worse idea. … Now, you want to have NWSL all-stars play WSL all-stars. That’s a game I’d be interested in.” — Scott B.
💬 Go international: “My brain went to the England v. France 3rd place WC game. It feels like that would be the kind of free-wheeling, defense-be-damned game the All-Stars would play. If that’s true, count me in!” — Rod T.
💬 Bring on mixed teams: “The Portland Thorns (NWSL) and the Portland Timbers (MLS) have played two games with mixed teams, and they have been tremendous fun for the players and the fans. Both were fundraisers (one for Ukraine, I forget what the other was for) and were totally unserious which was part of the fun!” — Jessica R.
Want to get in touch? You can email us at [email protected]. No need to wait for a poll to send us your thoughts. Now, on to the official results:
🎧 Get more: “Full Time” hosts Jillian Sakovitz, Tamerra Griffin and Meg will be answering your burning questions on Wednesday’s mailbag episode. Subscribe to get it first.
First Looks
Must-see TV: We told you last week the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations was can’t-miss viewing … and the group stage has been nothing but proof that you should listen to us. Tournament debutants Malawi, led by Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga, are on the cusp of the knockouts after a stunning opening win against 10-time champions Nigeria. The responsibility that comes with winning is not lost on the players, either.
Parting ways: Manchester United and coach Marc Skinner have split one month before the Women’s Super League season. Get caught up on the news now, because we’ll have even more details tomorrow.
Crucial loss: Bad news for U.S. women’s national team fans, as the back line took a serious hit with Gotham center back Emily Sonnett missing the rest of the NWSL season following knee surgery.
A brother’s love: Grief is complicated. Katie Whyatt spoke to Mark Beard, the brother of the late WSL coach Matt Beard, about their family’s story, life after loss and how Mark is turning his pain into purpose. It’s an emotional and important read.
What we’re watching: “Ted Lasso” returns to Apple TV on Wednesday with its fourth season. This time, the Kansas City-based coach is headed back to England to oversee Richmond’s new women’s team. We are cautiously optimistic about the return of America’s favorite soccer dad.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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