FIFA Scraps World Cup Sell-Off Plan After Member Pushback
FIFA has abandoned a plan to sell off parts of the World Cup after facing significant resistance from its member organizations. Here's what happened.
In brief
FIFA has abandoned a plan to sell off elements of the World Cup after facing resistance from member organizations, according to The Business Standard. The global soccer governing body reversed course on the commercial proposal following internal opposition, though the specific details of what was proposed — and who objected — were not disclosed in the initial report.
Key Takeaways
FIFA has scrapped a plan to sell off parts of the World Cup.
The reversal came after resistance from FIFA member organizations.
The specific nature of the sell-off proposal has not been publicly detailed.
FIFA Reverses Course on World Cup Commercial Plan
FIFA, the Zurich-based governing body that oversees international soccer and administers the World Cup, pulled back on a sell-off proposal after its own membership pushed back. The report from The Business Standard does not specify which member federations objected, what financial terms were involved, or what portion of the World Cup was targeted in the plan.
The decision marks a notable internal check on FIFA's commercial ambitions. The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event on the planet and the organization's primary revenue engine. Any move to restructure or monetize its commercial rights in new ways would carry enormous implications for federations, broadcasters, and host nations alike — including the United States, which is co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.
Why This Matters in Washington
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Washington DC sits at the center of the 2026 World Cup conversation. The capital region's soccer footprint — anchored by D.C. United at Audi Field in Southwest — and its proximity to venues in the broader mid-Atlantic corridor make FIFA's governance decisions directly relevant here. Commercial disputes at the FIFA level can ripple into local planning, sponsorship structures, and the fan experience for the millions expected to descend on the region. For DC's sports and hospitality economy, stable FIFA governance is not an abstraction — it is a bottom-line issue.
FIFA has faced sustained scrutiny over its governance and commercial practices for years. Transparency International and other watchdog organizations have long called for greater accountability within the body. Member resistance to commercial restructuring reflects ongoing tensions between FIFA's central leadership and the national associations that make up its foundation. For more on DC's political and institutional power dynamics, visit the WDCM DC Politics Guide.
The BBC Sport and other international outlets have tracked FIFA's evolving commercial strategy in the lead-up to the 2026 tournament. How the organization manages its internal politics will shape the commercial landscape of what promises to be a record-setting event on American soil. Follow WDCM's coverage of power moves in DC as the story develops.
What to Watch Next
The bottom line: FIFA floated a significant commercial restructuring of the World Cup, its members said no, and the plan is dead — for now. Whether FIFA revisits the proposal in a revised form, and which member federations led the resistance, are the questions worth watching. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon and DC in the thick of host preparations, any shift in FIFA's commercial or governance posture will land close to home.
What did FIFA propose to sell off? The specific details of FIFA's sell-off plan have not been publicly disclosed. The Business Standard reported only that a plan existed and was scrapped after member resistance.
Why did FIFA members resist the plan? The reasons behind member opposition were not detailed in the source report. Member federations have historically pushed back on proposals they believe would reduce their share of World Cup revenues or undermine their governance rights.
Does this affect the 2026 World Cup in the United States? The source report does not draw a direct connection to the 2026 tournament. However, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making FIFA's commercial decisions broadly relevant to all host stakeholders.
Who governs FIFA? FIFA is governed by a Congress of member associations and an executive Council. Its president is Gianni Infantino. The organization is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
Where can I follow FIFA governance news? The FIFA official website, major sports outlets including BBC Sport and Reuters, and transparency watchdogs such as Transparency International regularly cover FIFA governance developments.
Reporting drawn from: The Business Standard. Washington DC Magazine provides original analysis, DC-specific context, and editorial perspective beyond the source material.This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by WDCM editorial staff. Washington DC Magazine is committed to accuracy, transparency, and editorial integrity. If you believe any information in this article requires correction, please contact editor@washingtondcmagazine.com.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
