European nations vow to boycott World Cup, other FIFA tournaments over Infantino private equity plan

UEFA member federations will boycott all FIFA competitions in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors

European nations agreed Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions to protest Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in soccer’s biggest tournament to private equity investors. The North American soccer body rejected his plan later the same day.

England's Football Association declared its full support for UEFA, insisting the World Cup should remain in the hands of football.

The response to FIFA's plan to sell shares in the FIFA World Cup has been swift and aggressive, as multiple groups and entities around the world call on member nations to take firm action.

European football's governing body UEFA said on Thursday it would boycott the World Cup if FIFA pressed ahead with its private investor plan. "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

UEFA has threatened to boycott FIFA competitions over Gianni Infantino's $20 billion investor plan, saying the World Cup should never be privately owned.

“UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,” UEFA said after the meeting. The next FIFA event on the calendar is the Women's Under-20 World Cup, which will be held in Poland from September 5.

FIFA has faced backlash from global soccer governing bodies over the proposal to allow private investment.

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

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 t

UEFA says will boycott World Cup if FIFA pushes private investor proposal  euractiv.com

UEFA needs assurances FIFA won't go through with the plan to sell to private investors.

The 55 UEFA members are in favor of the boycott as a tense situation continues to unfold

UEFA vows to boycott all FIFA competitions over private investment plan  USA Today

World Cup in chaos: UEFA’s 55 nations vow to boycott over FIFA’s $20B privatization cash grab  MARCA

Uefa said its position will not change until Fifa’s proposal is abandoned.

Infantino has sparked outrage from European nations as he looks to sell off the tournament

UEFA Confirm Stunning World Cup Boycott in Bid to Kill Gianni Infantino Plan  Sports Illustrated

UEFA member federations agreed on Thursday to boycott all Fifa competitions in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. “UEFA and its national associations will not participate in Fifa competitions,” the European football body said after an urgent online meeting of

The governing body's plan welcoming investors to purchase World Cup-related commercial rights has drawn criticism from around the world.

The strategy meeting was called to counter FIFA president Infantino’s offer of US$20 million to each of FIFA's 211 global members that has to be accepted by mid-September.

The European football governing body called for FIFA's plan to create a commercial company to maximize revenues to be 'abandoned in its entirety.'

UEFA members unanimously voted to boycott ‌the ⁠World ⁠Cup and other FIFA competitions. The protest follows FIFA's plan to ‌sell stakes to investors ‌in a subsidiary ‌that will run the governing body's tournaments.

After an urgent online meeting of the 55 members, the European soccer body said: “UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions.”

After an urgent online meeting of the 55 members, the European soccer body said: “UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions.”

Gianni Infantino's controversial proposals have resulted in UEFA deciding to boycott all FIFA competitions

UEFA nations vote unanimously to boycott World Cup over FIFA stake sale plans  Reuters

UEFA member countries agree to boycott FIFA competitions in protest at private equity plan for World Cup.

UEFA's member associations have unanimously voted to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions in protest at FIFA's plan to sell stakes to external investors in a subsidiary that will run the global governing body's tournaments.

Gianni Infantino's controversial idea for the future of the World Cup and all FIFA competitions has dominated the football world

UEFA member countries agree to boycott FIFA competitions in protest at private equity plan for World Cup.

Soccer Football - Euro 2028 & Euro 2032 Hosts Announcement - Nyon, Switzerland - October 10, 2023 The UEFA logo is pictured at the headquarters ahead of the announcement REUTERS/Denis Balibouse 30 Jul 2026 11:26PM (Updated: 30 Jul 2026 11:32PM) July 30 : UEFA's member associations have unanimously voted to boycott the

England and other UEFA nationals have thrown the World Cup into chaos after reported plans that they will boycott all FIFA competitions should Gianni Infantino continue his plans to sell stakes

All European nations have vowed to boycott the World Cup if Fifa proceeds with plans to sell off stakes in a new commercial vehicle following a Uefa crisis summit.  England’s Football Association and the other 54 members of European governing body Uefa held emergency talks today to discuss their response to Fifa’s prop

Gianni Infantino's plan to sell off a stake of the World Cup has been met with a furious backlash - and now England and other major nations are ready to snub future tournaments

On Tuesday, FIFA confirmed its plans to sell a significant minority stake in a new entity that it is setting up to run its main events.

FIFA’s controversial president facing concerted backlash to latest money-spinning scheme

UEFA nations unanimously back World Cup boycott as they go to war with Gianni Infantino  talkSPORT

UEFA to boycott all FIFA competitions to protest World Cup private equity plan  ESPN

CAF calls on members to review FIFA’s controversial plan to sell stakes in major competitions. Learn more about the FIFA investor plan and its implications

Uefa will discuss how to leverage their position in order to combat Infantino’s proposals to privatise the World Cup

The clash between FIFA and UEFA has intensified after European football's governing body issued a fresh rebuke over plans to sell a stake in the World Cup. UEFA will hold an emergency meeting to discuss its next steps.

Full list of Uefa nations that could boycott 2030 World Cup in stand against Fifa  lbc.co.uk