France Confirms U20 World Cup Entry Despite UEFA Boycott — SkimNews
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- French Football Federation (FFF) told BBC Sport its plans for the tournament had not changed, stating: "For now, France will be participating to the Fifa U20 Women World Cup" despite UEFA's threat.
- UEFA's 55 member associations voted to boycott all FIFA competitions after Infantino's privatization plan was announced; the plans have since been scrapped and Infantino apologized for his "errors," but UEFA said the boycott could still proceed.
- England's Football Association was unable to confirm whether the team will play; the FA has withdrawn its support for Infantino, joining Wales, Albania and Croatia in turning on the FIFA president.
- Lucy Bronze publicly backed the boycott as "the right thing for the future of the game," saying European players "stand by our beliefs" even at cost to women's football.
- Six European teams — England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland — are due to compete in the tournament, which starts in 29 days (September 5), making it the first major FIFA event at risk from any boycott.
- Women's football faces the earliest impact, with senior Women's World Cup qualifiers in October, the U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco also in October, and defending champions Spain potentially locked out of the 2027 Brazil World Cup if play-offs are boycotted.
Why it matters: The U20 Women's World Cup, scheduled to start September 5 in Poland, would be the first FIFA tournament directly affected if UEFA's 55 member associations follow through on their boycott threat — and France's public defection signals the boycott may not hold. With defending champions Spain among the six European entrants and senior Women's World Cup qualifiers due in October, any prolonged standoff could cost European women's teams access to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
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