The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has said it will boycott the next World Cup competitions if FIFA President Gianni Infantino goes ahead with his plans to sell the international tournaments to private investors.
Infantino’s plans were first reported by The Times of London journalist Martyn Ziegler.
Top North American football organisation CONCACAF has been publicly supportive of UEFA.
Here’s what’s going on.
Infantino
Trained as a lawyer, Infantino built his career in football administration, holding a senior role in UEFA from 2009 to 2016.
He took over FIFA in 2016, after former president Sepp Blatter left amid corruption allegations.
Infantino was re-elected as FIFA President in 2019 and 2023 without opposition.
He plans to run again in 2027.
According to FIFA, Infantino has sought to make the organisation “credible, trustworthy, modern, professional and accountable”.
Selling the World Cup?
Under Infantino’s proposal, a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise would take over all commercial operations.
The company could take control of FIFA’s men’s and women’s World Cups, expanding the tournaments or staging them more often.
While FIFA would own the majority of the company, according to Ziegler’s reporting, 20% would be sold to private investors, and another chunk would be divided between the organisation’s member nations.
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Discussions with potential investors have involved figures close to Trump.
Infantino has a well-documented friendship with Trump, who referenced him in a speech ahead of his 2025 inauguration, and hosted him at Mar-a-Lago and the Oval Office.
Last year, FIFA launched a Peace Prize.
Infantino presented the inaugural award to Trump.
Boycott?
After an emergency meeting with its 55 member nations on Thursday, UEFA confirmed it won’t participate in FIFA competitions unless Infantino’s plan is dropped.
FIFA members have until mid-September to approve Infantino’s proposal, which could also include extra funding for every country.
“We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.”
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product.”
In a letter to its 46 members, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said the plans “undermine the very foundations of continental football”.
The North American soccer body CONCACAF also rejected the proposal.
The last time UEFA announced plans to boycott, in 2021, it stopped Infantino’s bid for World Cups every two years.
