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- October 13, 202617°
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- October 13, 202617°
UEFA votes to boycott FIFA's plan to open World Cup to private investors
UEFA and its 55 member countries unanimously rejected FIFA President Gianni Infantino's proposal to open the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors, deciding to boycott all FIFA competitions. The decision will also affect the 2027 Women's World Cup and the 2030 Men's World Cup.
UEFA and its 55 member countries unanimously decided to boycott FIFA President Gianni Infantino's proposal to open the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors. The decision, taken by a 55-0 vote at an emergency meeting, stipulates that European teams will not participate in FIFA competitions.
The decision will directly affect the 2027 Women's World Cup to be held in Brazil and the 2030 Men's World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. UEFA stated: 'As long as these proposals remain in effect, no UEFA national team will participate in any FIFA competition.'
What was Infantino's plan?
FIFA President Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion subsidiary to manage the World Cup and other events, and selling minority shares in that entity to private investors. The plan included paying each of the 211 member federations $40 million if they approved by September. If rejected, the package would revert to the previously offered $2.7 billion (about $10 million per member).
UEFA stressed that the World Cup is not for sale and cannot be treated like an investment product. The statement said: 'This is not just a profound leadership failure, but FIFA abandoning its duty as the guardian of world football.'
Reactions from other confederations
CONCACAF, which represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected FIFA's proposal at a meeting held the same day. However, the Mexican Football Federation announced that it had not yet made a final decision and would wait for the roundtable meetings to be organized by FIFA.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in a strongly worded letter to its 47 member federations, warned that the proposal could never succeed without the support of all regional blocs. AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said FIFA had not consulted them at any level and that the failure to provide detailed governance, financial or legal analysis was 'completely unacceptable'.
The African confederation's executive committee will discuss the matter next week, while the Oceania confederation will do so next month. South American football governing body CONMEBOL has not yet made an official statement.
Support from players and politicians
Following UEFA's statement, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 'Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It's time to take a stand to protect our game.'
The world players' union FIFPRO also opposed the plan, warning that the proposal would irreversibly alter the fundamental dynamics of the tournaments on which players build their careers.
UEFA's elite club competitions generated €4.4 billion in revenue in the 2024/25 season alone. Infantino, meanwhile, will stand for re-election as FIFA president next year.
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