UEFA drops FIFA boycott threat after assurances on World Cup investor plan
UEFA is set to drop its threat to boycott FIFA tournaments after receiving assurances that President Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell stakes in World Cup commercial operations to private investors will not be revived, multiple outlets reported on Wednesday.
The European governing body’s 55 member associations had vowed in late July to withhold participation from all FIFA competitions as long as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal remained under consideration. The now-abandoned plan would have allowed third-party investors to take stakes in a new subsidiary overseeing FIFA’s commercial and event operations, including the World Cup.
A UEFA executive committee meeting in Monaco on Thursday is expected to formalize the decision, according to BBC Sport . FIFA welcomed the development, stating it was “pleased that all qualified teams will be participating in the upcoming Under-20 Women’s World Cup” .
Six European teams—England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland—are scheduled to compete in the tournament, set for Sept. 5–27 in Poland. UEFA had previously insisted that two conditions must be met: the withdrawal of the FFE proposal and binding assurances that similar attempts would never resurface. “Assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again,” UEFA stated in early August .
The shift comes as opposition to Infantino grows. Italy’s football federation, FIGC, announced on Wednesday it would withdraw support for his 2027 re-election bid, aligning with UEFA’s stance. FIGC President Giovanni Malagò said the decision aimed to “promote a vision of football based on merit, solidarity, sustainability and the central role of the fans” . Romania has also pulled its backing, while UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation continue pushing for leadership changes within FIFA.
Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016, remains the sole declared candidate for the March 2027 election, requiring a simple majority of the 211 member associations’ votes. Despite mounting European resistance, he retains support from the African Football Confederation (CAF), parts of South America’s CONMEBOL, and some former players, including Argentina’s Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Pastore, who praised his work in an open letter .
A FIFA spokesperson said the organization “strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances” and remains committed to global development “in full dialogue with the confederations and stakeholders” . One source close to the discussions told BBC Sport the move was not a UEFA retreat but a pragmatic step to avoid penalizing young players .
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