UEFA to boycott WC; Concacaf rejects FIFA plan
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- UEFA and its 55 member associations voted unanimously to boycott all FIFA competitions, including men's and women's World Cups, until the sell-off plan is abandoned.
- Concacaf's 41 members — including 2026 hosts the US, Canada, and Mexico — joined the rejection, citing 'lack of due process' and an 'artificially short deadline' imposed by FIFA.
- Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa broke ranks with Infantino, warning the deal 'will not succeed without the support of all the confederations.'
- Gianni Infantino's $20 billion proposal would sell a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprises to Joshua Kushner's firm — brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner — granting it influence over World Cup broadcasting and commercial deals for 12 years.
- If approved, the deal would deliver over $80 million to each of FIFA's 211 member associations through 2037; Infantino's Sept. 19 acceptance deadline has been effectively overridden.
- The boycott's first test comes in September at Poland's Women's U20 World Cup, with the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil potentially next on the line — and sources told ESPN women's soccer could become 'a pawn in politics.'
Why it matters: Three of FIFA's six continental bodies — including Asia, Infantino's traditional stronghold — have now turned against him, putting his previously secure 11-year presidency and a March 2026 re-election bid in genuine jeopardy. The first concrete flashpoint arrives in September at Poland's Women's U20 World Cup, with major nations like Germany, France, England and Spain prepared to sit out men's and women's World Cups if the proposal survives.
