European soccer’s governing body UEFA and its 55 member associations on Thursday voted to boycott all FIFA competitions if world football’s governing body proceeds with plans to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors, escalating a governance crisis that has drawn opposition from regional confederations and players’ bodies.
The unanimous 55-0 vote at an emergency UEFA meeting marked the strongest resistance yet to FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal, unveiled earlier this week, to create a $20 billion subsidiary to manage the World Cup and other FIFA competitions while offering minority stakes to external investors.
“We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors,” UEFA said in a statement.
“No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.”
UEFA said the World Cup was “not for sale” and warned that allowing private investors into FIFA competitions would permanently alter the sport by making commercial returns an overriding priority.
The standoff could have significant implications for upcoming FIFA events, including the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2030 Men’s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Infantino has proposed distributing $40 million to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations if the plan is approved by September 19, as part of a $10 billion package that would become available from January 2027. FIFA has said the package would fall back to the previously proposed $2.7 billion if the proposal is rejected.
The proposal has also faced resistance outside Europe.
CONCACAF, which represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean, said its 41 member associations had rejected the proposal after expressing “deep concerns” over what it described as a lack of due process, an accelerated timeline and the absence of review by FIFA’s governance bodies.
“The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance,” CONCACAF said in a statement.
However, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) later clarified that it had not taken a final position. It said FIFA had informed it of the proposal on July 28 and would provide additional information through a series of round-table discussions before member associations decide their stance.
“The FMF will complete this process of study and analysis in order to take the decision that best serves the development of Mexican football,” it said.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also criticised FIFA’s handling of the proposal. AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said the confederation had not been consulted before the announcement and described the lack of governance, financial and legal analysis as “totally unacceptable.”
“FIFA’s unilateral actions appear to undermine the very foundations of continental football, which are based on solidarity, cooperation and transparency,” he said, adding that the initiative would not succeed without the backing of all six continental confederations.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is expected to discuss the proposal next week, while the Oceania Football Confederation will take it up at a meeting next month. South American governing body CONMEBOL has not yet commented publicly.
The proposal has also drawn criticism from player representatives. FIFPRO, the global players’ union, warned that introducing private ownership into FIFA competitions would fundamentally change the incentives governing tournaments in which players build their careers.
Britain’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also weighed in, saying: “Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It’s time to take a stand to protect our game.”
UEFA and FIFA have long competed for influence over football’s increasingly lucrative commercial landscape. UEFA’s elite club competitions alone generated €4.4 billion ($5 billion) in revenue during the 2024-25 season.
Infantino, who is seeking re-election as FIFA president next year, has defended the proposal as a way to democratise football’s finances by expanding the distribution of revenue among member associations.
(Reuters)
