UEFA will boycott FIFA tournaments if Gianni Infantino continues with plans to sell off stake in World Cup

UEFA will boycott FIFA tournaments if Gianni Infantino goes ahead with his proposal to sell off a stake in the World Cup.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of all of UEFA's 55 member associations on Thursday afternoon, with a 55-0 vote.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, UEFA said: "We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA's proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors."

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In a further blow to Infantino, CONCACAF also rejected the idea of the proposals. They too convened a meeting of their 41 member associations, with a statement expressing 'deep concerns' surrounding 'the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies'.

It went on to include a series of action points in relation to Infantino's plans - but did not mention any plans of a boycott, as UEFA decided to. It is the first time a confederation has done so for a FIFA tournament.

The first test of UEFA's boycott for senior teams will come in October for the 2027 Women's World Cup qualifier play-offs, which England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play in.

Sarina Wiegman and her staff are preparing for their two-legged tie against Greece as normal, Sky Sports News understands.

It's currently the same for the Women's U20 World Cup; however, the timing couldn't be much worse for European nations.

The tournament is due to start on September 5 in Poland and concludes on September 27. Poland, England, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain are the European nations taking part.

Everyone at UEFA's two-hour meeting on Thursday spoke out against Infantino's sell-off plan, including FA chair and FIFA vice president Debbie Hewitt and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.

Following UEFA's boycott decision, an FA spokesperson said: "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view. We oppose FIFA's plans. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football and always will."

The Scottish FA said they "agree unequivocally with concerns raised by all members over the manner in which these proposals have been issued, and the deadline set, without a full consultation process or consideration to good governance".

The Premier League - who are a founding member of the European Leagues - backed UEFA's stance, saying it "fully supports this statement".

Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said of UEFA's boycott: "This is a principled decision that we strongly support. Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It's time to take a stand to protect our game."

What are FIFA's World Cup plans?

A major row first broke out on Tuesday between football's governing bodies over FIFA's plans to seek private investment in the World Cup, with UEFA reacting angrily and European nations ready to discuss a boycott.

FIFA announced that it was seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bring together the sale of FIFA's commercial rights - including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing - with the operational delivery of its tournaments.

Under the proposal, FIFA would raise up to $4.2bn (£3.1bn) from external investors through the sale of minority, non-controlling stakes in FFE, which it says would be valued at around $20bn (£15bn).

The governing body says its plans - which need approval from member associations - could deliver more than $10bn in "football development funding" over the next four years.

But UEFA, European football's governing body, released a furious statement that said the proposals "crossed a line".

There was further opposition to the proposal from Prime Minister Andy Burnham who said "football belongs to fans" on X while the FA, who were left completely unaware, expressed a "deep concern" over plans.

'The World Cup is not for sale' - UEFA's statement in full

"The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.

"It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game. This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA's duty as the custodian of world football.

"National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football's greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a "democratic decision", but governance by intimidation - an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.

"But our opposition goes far beyond process.

"The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.

"This model has no place in world football. Football's future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return. Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain.

"Europe's position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation.

"As a result of today's discussion, 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.

"Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination.

"There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept, but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments.

"Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale."

What happens to Infantino if plans collapse?

Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol:

"It's shocking how nothing is shocking any more. I should be surprised but I'm not surprised at all. I've just come back from the World Cup. According to FIFA, it was the most successful World Cup ever. They made more money than they know what to do with. Fans were paying outrageous prices for tickets.

"Gianni Infantino and those close to him have looked at this and said, 'this is the future'. One way to make sure you have more tournaments like the one you've just had is to set up a subsidiary of FIFA that will look after FIFA's tournaments and to invite private investors to invest in that company.

"In the short term, there's going to be a big pot of money potentially available for the 211 member associations of FIFA.

"The big question is, are they going to accept what Infantino is proposing? What happens to Infantino if these plans collapse? Are we seeing a tipping point on the horizon where a lot of people in football are saying they don't like the way Infantino has been running football?

"I think there is such a groundswell of opposition to these plans that if I had to put money on it, I think they won't succeed. It reminds me of what happened to the European Super League where plans came out, there was outrage and pretty quickly the plans didn't come to fruition.

"Infantino knows everyone has got a price. FIFA have written to all 211 member associations and have said you have until September 19 to accept this plan. If you do, there is going to be a pot of £7.5bn for us to share. If you don't, that pot will drop from £7.5bn to £2bn.

"How many of these member associations are going to turn down that money?"

(c) Sky Sports 2026: UEFA will boycott FIFA tournaments if Gianni Infantino continues with plans to sell off stake in World Cup