EditUEFA may boycott future FIFA tournaments over private investment plans
EU sports Commissioner Glen Micallef said that FIFA had been exploiting every commercial opportunity, but “enough is enough”
UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, is considering a boycott of tournaments organised under FIFA’s auspices, including the 2030 World Cup. The European governing body is particularly alarmed by the International Federation of Association Football’s proposal to create a new subsidiary company that would bring in private investors.
According to the plans, the new entity (known as FIFA Forward Enterprise) would aim to unlock the full commercial potential of FIFA’s broadcasting rights and sponsorship deals, while significantly increasing funding for national member associations.
In response, UEFA is set to convene an emergency meeting of its 55 member associations to discuss possible countermeasures, including a potential boycott of the next World Cup.
In a strongly worded statement, UEFA said:
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross. UEFA takes this extremely seriously. So should every national football association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.
The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
This is not the first time UEFA has threatened to boycott FIFA competitions. In 2021, a similar conflict erupted over FIFA’s proposal to hold the World Cup every two years. FIFA ultimately abandoned the idea under pressure from the threat of a European boycott.
The newly elected British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, also voiced strong opposition. In a social media post, he wrote:
“Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine. The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell.”
EU sports Commissioner Glen Micallef stated: “This isn’t baseball. The FIFA World Cup remains the greatest sporting tournament on the planet, despite FIFA exploiting every commercial opportunity. But enough is enough. The relentless commercialisation of football has become corrosive. It’s threatening the things that made football the world’s most popular sport.”
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter posted on social media: “The close relationship between the FIFA President and the U.S. President has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football. No one has the right to sell our game.”
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has raised more than a few eyebrows with his latest proposal for the World Cup. The FIFA president is pushing a plan to create a new commercial vehicle, FIFA Forward Enterprise, valued at around $20 billion, and sell minority stakes to private investors. While FIFA insists it would retain full control over sporting and governance decisions and use the funds to boost development money for its 211 member associations, critics – led by UEFA – see the move as an unprecedented step toward treating the World Cup as a financial asset rather than a sporting institution. The idea has already prompted talk of an emergency meeting among European federations and even the possibility of a boycott of future FIFA tournaments.
Caption: Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, attends the drivers’ parade prior to the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, 24 May 2026. Infantino wore a red, white, and blue Montreal Canadiens hockey jersey. EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH
Updated: July 29, 2026 - 13:52
