France to Play U20 World Cup Despite UEFA Boycott
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- French Football Federation told BBC Sport that "France will be participating to the Fifa U20 Women World Cup," despite UEFA's threatened boycott of all FIFA competitions.
- UEFA's 55 member associations voted to boycott FIFA after president Gianni Infantino announced plans to sell stakes in competitions to private investors — a plan Infantino has since apologized for and aborted, though UEFA said Thursday the boycott could still go ahead.
- England's Football Association did not respond when BBC Sport asked whether its team would play in the tournament, which is scheduled to start in 29 days in Poland.
- Lucy Bronze, speaking from Chelsea's pre-season tour in New Zealand, said players "stand by our beliefs" and that boycotting competitions "has to happen" for the future of the game, even though women's football would be first impacted.
- Six European teams — England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and hosts Poland — are scheduled to compete, and defending champions Spain would also miss the 2027 Women's World Cup play-offs if the boycott is upheld through June of that year.
- Infantino retains the FIFA presidency but faces growing defections, with the English FA, Wales, Albania, and Croatia withdrawing support; Baroness Campbell called women's football being first affected "tragic," and Anita Asante warned the first casualties will be women's tournaments.
Why it matters: The September 5 U20 Women's World Cup kickoff would be the first direct casualty of the UEFA boycott, with six European federations including defending champions Spain at risk of exclusion. If the standoff isn't resolved by October, England and other Home Nations would also miss Women's World Cup qualifiers — forcing players like Lucy Bronze to choose between competitive participation and institutional solidarity.
