UEFA to boycott World Cup over FIFA proposal
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- UEFA declared it will boycott all FIFA competitions after an emergency virtual meeting of its 55 member associations unanimously rejected FIFA president Gianni Infantino's plan to sell a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprises to outside investors.
- Infantino's proposal, backed by American investor Josh Kushner and bank JP Morgan, would raise $20 billion in exchange for influence over World Cup broadcasting and commercial deals, with a Sept. 19 deadline for FIFA's 211 member associations to accept.
- The sell-off would trigger over $80 million in payouts to each of FIFA's 211 member associations between now and 2037, but over 50 of UEFA's 55 associations took the floor to express anger at the plan.
- The boycott would pull major nations including Germany, France, England and reigning world champions Spain from both men's and women's World Cups, with the first test coming in September when Poland hosts the Women's U-20 World Cup.
- UEFA condemned the process as a failure of leadership and "governance by intimidation," noting the plan was "conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation."
- Concacaf's 41-member nations were also set to hold an emergency meeting Thursday, and sources warned that women's football could become "a pawn in politics" since the next World Cup is the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.
- UEFA demanded FIFA abandon the proposal in its entirety and provide binding assurances it will "never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership" before European teams return.
Why it matters: If UEFA follows through, the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil and the next men's World Cup would lose the participation of Europe — home of football's biggest federations and broadcast markets. The Sept. 19 deadline forces FIFA's 211 member associations to choose between $80 million each in payouts and a governing rupture that could fracture the men's and women's international calendars.
