Europe Decides to Boycott World Cup in Response to Infantino's Plan

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced in a statement that its member associations voted unanimously to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if FIFA continues its plan to sell stakes to external investors in a subsidiary that would manage FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup. The decision, regarded as a serious escalation by UEFA against FIFA and the plans of its president, Gianni Infantino, was taken in an online meeting held on Thursday. All 55 European federations under the UEFA umbrella voted in favor of the resolution, confirming that the project was stillborn due to significant global opposition.

UEFA stated in its statement: “No European national team will participate in any tournament organized by FIFA as long as these proposals remain in place, unless they are completely withdrawn and binding guarantees are provided that FIFA’s governance or its competitions will not be opened again to private ownership.” It added: “The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product... and no part of it should ever be ceded to private-sector investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”