European nations threaten World Cup boycott over FIFA privatisation

European soccer governing bodies are weighing a potential boycott of future FIFA tournaments, including the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Brazil, following a dispute over FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in a new commercial entity to private investors, Sky News reported.

UEFA member associations are scheduled to convene an emergency virtual meeting this week to coordinate resistance against FIFA’s proposal to launch a commercial subsidiary and cede partial ownership to external financial partners.

The rift deepened after UEFA publicly voiced concern regarding rumours of the deal, forcing FIFA to confirm details of the plan. Under the strategy, FIFA intends to create a commercial enterprise—dubbed FIFA Forward Enterprise — valued at $20 billion. The global governing body aims to raise $4.2 billion by selling a stake of over 20 per cent to private investors.

According to sources familiar with the matter, key national governing bodies, including England’s Football Association (FA), were left completely unaware of the venture prior to FIFA’s sudden public confirmation. FIFA had omitted any mention of the initiative during official meetings with national associations held in New York on the eve of the World Cup final.

The secretive nature of the proposal has drawn severe pushback from UEFA, which accused FIFA leadership of attempting to commercialise the fundamental governance of the global game.

"This crosses a line that football's governing institutions should never cross. UEFA takes it extremely seriously," UEFA said in an official statement. "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 is the owner of football. It is not FIFA's to sell," the statement added.

In response, European nations are prepared to leverage the threat of a World Cup boycott to force FIFA to abandon the privatisation drive. The tactic previously proved effective in 2021, when FIFA dropped a controversial initiative to host the World Cup every two years after UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin warned that European teams would refuse to participate.

The controversy also focuses scrutiny on Infantino’s executive compensation and future role within the organisation. Infantino received $6 million last year, boosted by a 33 per cent increase in his performance bonus linked to the expanded Club World Cup in the United States. While current FIFA term limits require Infantino to step down from the presidency in 2031 — assuming he wins re-election next year after first taking office in 2016 following Sepp Blatter’s departure — sources indicate he could transition into a lucrative executive position managing the new World Cup spin-off entity if the venture is approved. FIFA declined to comment on potential bonuses Infantino might receive for finalising the $20 billion deal.

Although FIFA can technically approve the proposal by securing a simple majority among its 211 member associations — many of which depend heavily on FIFA development grants — European nations hold substantial operational leverage. As the home to the current men’s and women’s World Cup champions, Spain, as well as the sport’s most lucrative domestic leagues, European participation remains vital to the commercial viability and global prestige of FIFA’s flagship tournaments.

By Tamilla Hasanova