On October 15, 2026, the FIFA Council gathered for a three-and-a-half-hour meeting. The agenda included lifting Balawoo's ban, awarding the Peace Prize, and funding national federations. The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal to open the World Cup to private investors was discussed. Gianni Infantino apologized for not informing the Council about the FFE proposal during the meeting and promised to consult the Council on similar proposals in the future. Critics argue that transparency remains an issue and that key documents are not available to members. UEFA and other confederations criticized the proposal, calling for the FIFA president to resign. The English and German federations remain unsatisfied with Infantino's responses to his aborted plan to open the World Cup to private investors, highlighting a loss of trust in his leadership and calls for new ideas and approaches to govern the organization. Gianni Infantino said, "I apologize for not informing the Council about the FFE proposal and promise to consult them in the future." Debbie Hewitt stated, "Ce qui est décevant, c’est que nous n’avons obtenu aucune réponse à nos demandes spécifiques." Bernd Neuendorf said, "Comme je l’ai dit, la confiance en lui est perdue. De nouvelles personnes doivent désormais élaborer de nouvelles idées et il faut déterminer comment remettre cette organisation, qui est extrêmement importante pour le football mondial, sur des bases sérieuses." Gianni Infantino also remarked in Turkish, "Öncelikle 'FIFA Forward Enterprise' projesiyle ilgili iletişim ve istişare sürecinde yaptığımız ve birtakım sonuçlar doğuran hatalar için özür dilerim. Ancak şunu unutmamak gerekir ki bu bir öneriydi, kesinleşmiş bir karar değildi. Asıl amaç, mevcut kaynaklardan faydalanmak yerine FIFA'nın üye federasyonlarımıza daha fazla yatırım yapabilmesini sağlamaktı."
