UEFA to boycott World Cup and FIFA tournaments over stake sale plans

LONDON: European soccer’s governing body UEFA and its 55 member nations on Thursday voted to boycott all FIFA tournaments in what could be a ​knockout blow to the global soccer organisation’s proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to external investors.

In a statement that pulled no punches, Europe presented a united front to ‌FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, whose proposal this week blindsided regional confederations and caused uproar just weeks after the World Cup staged in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Six of the top 10 ranked teams in both men’s and women’s soccer are from Europe, including world champions Spain.

CONCACAF and its 41 member associations also rejected FIFA’s plan during a meeting on Thursday, although the Mexican Football Federation later said that they have not yet made a decision and will wait for the round-table discussions organised by FIFA to ​provide further information and documentation relating to the new model.

The Asian Football Confederation, meanwhile, issued a scathing letter to the continent’s 47 member associations and warned the proposal would never succeed without the ​support of all six regional blocs.

UEFA’s stance raised the stakes dramatically, with immediate implications for the 2027 women’s World Cup due to be hosted in Brazil. Spain ⁠and Portugal are co-hosts of the 2030 men’s World Cup along with Morocco.

Members of UEFA voted 55-0 in favor of the boycott at an emergency meeting, a soccer source told Reuters.

“We unanimously and unequivocally reject ​FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors,” UEFA said in a statement.

“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.”

Not for sale

UEFA said the World Cup was not for sale and could not be treated as an investment product or surrendered to private investors.

Infantino’s plan, opens new tab would create a $20 billion subsidiary to run the World Cup and its other events, while offering minority stakes to private investors.

He has offered FIFA’s 211 member ​associations $40 million each if they agree to the proposal by September 19 as part of a $10 billion package to become available from January 1, 2027.

If rejected, the package would revert to $2.7 billion previously offered, around $10 ​million per member association.

“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football,” UEFA said of a proposal which has triggered a major governance crisis.

Asian confederation rebukes FIFA in blow to private investment plan

“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.”

UEFA, whose elite club competitions generated €4.4 billion ($5 billion) in the 2024/25 season alone, and FIFA have long waged a battle for power and control in a sport that has become a mighty money machine.

Infantino, who is up for reelection as head of FIFA next year, has cast the move as pushing global “democratisation” by broadening access to its financial largesse.

Others have taken a different view.

“Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It’s time to take a stand to protect our game,” said Britain’s culture minister Lisa Nandy after ​the UEFA statement.

AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa ​said his body was not consulted by FIFA ⁠at any level before the public announcement. That, and the lack of any detailed governance, financial or legal analysis of the proposal, was “totally unacceptable”, he added.

“FIFA’s unilateral actions appear to undermine the very foundations of continental football, which are based on solidarity, cooperation and transparency,” added the Bahraini.

“Such an initiative will not succeed without ​the support of all the confederations, which is not the case now.”

CONCACAF rejects the FIFA proposal

CONCACAF, the regional bloc for North America, Central America and ​the Caribbean, also held a ⁠meeting on Thursday where the presidents of its member associations expressed “deep concerns” about what they called a lack of due process surrounding the proposal, a short deadline and the absence of any review or approval by relevant FIFA governance bodies.

“The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance,” CONCACAF said in a statement. “For these reasons, CONCACAF and its 41 Member Associations have: Rejected the proposal.”

The African confederation’s executive committee meets next week to evaluate ⁠the proposal, while ​the Oceania confederation, the smallest regional bloc with 11 full member nations, said it would discuss the proposal at a meeting ​next month.

South American governing body CONMEBOL, which has yet to comment publicly, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Players’ bodies have also expressed opposition to FIFA’s plan, with FIFPRO, the global players’ union, warning the proposal would irreversibly reshape the incentives ​underpinning the tournaments in which players work and build careers.