By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-30 15:26:58 | Updated at 2026-07-30 18:49:35
3 hours ago
England and other UEFA nations are prepared to boycott the next World Cup should FIFA go ahead with their plans to sell shares of their flagship tournament.
Europe's governing football body has been staunchly opposed to plans shared this week by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
FIFA want to create a new company that would generate £3.1billion in private investment for FIFA tournaments, with Joshua Kushner - brother of Jared, Donald Trump’s son-in-law - leading the group of potential investors.
In the wake of this summer's World Cup, Infantino now plans to force FIFA's associations to decide on the proposal by September 19.
But after a crisis meeting held on Thursday, England's Football Associations and fellow UEFA members confirmed that they will boycott FIFA's tournaments, including next summer's Women's World Cup, should the proposal receive the green light.
UEFA's 55 member nations met virtually and their decision could all but kill FIFA's plans due to the sway they hold in international football.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has condemned FIFA's plans to allow private investors a share of the World Cup
Gianni Infantino has been widely criticised for his decision to put the World Cup 'up for sale'
One international football insider told Daily Mail Sport: ‘This is at the nuclear button end of the spectrum, which is impressive’.
Issuing a statement in the wake of the decision, UEFA underscored that the 'World Cup is not for sale' and called the secrecy around the plans 'irresponsible and indefensible'.
'UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,' the statement began. 'UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.
'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.
Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham came under pressure to take action
'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.'
On Wednesday, UEFA had accused FIFA of trying to bribe associations into agreeing with the proposals, which could see them receive up to an additional £15m in revenue.
In another blow to the plan, the president of the Asian Federation Sheikh Salman wrote of his 'great concern and disappointment' in FIFA's decision to prepare the plans without consultation.
CONCACAF, which represents 41 countries in North and Central America and the Caribbean, is another federation which has also expressed early skepticism in the wake of the bombshell plans.
