FIFA stake sale plans: UEFA nations threaten to boycott World Cup

3 min readUpdated: Jul 30, 2026 10:16 PM IST The FIFA World Cup soccer trophy is displayed during the opening ceremony of the International Broadcast Center, Monday, June 1, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)European football’s governing body UEFA’s member associations on Thursday unanimously voted to boycott the World Cup ⁠and other FIFA competitions in protest against FIFA’s plan ⁠to sell stakes to external ‌investors in a subsidiary that will run the ⁠global ⁠governing body’s tournaments. The decision was taken in a virtual emergency meeting convened on Thursday. “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 ​na