All 55 UEFA nations vote to boycott FIFA World Cup over Infantino's private equity plan.

All 55 UEFA nations vote to boycott FIFA World Cup over Infantino's private equity plan. FOOTBALL UNITES the World FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 FINAL DRAW The standoff represents one of the most significant governance clashes in modern football history, with the outcome likely to shape both the sport's finances and Infantino's own political standing ahead of FIFA's presidential election next March. UEFA Critics within UEFA, meanwhile, have accused FIFA of rushing the proposal through with little transparency or consultation with national federations. FIFA has not yet issued a detailed public response defending the plan, though Infantino has previously framed private investment as a way to modernize and grow the game's commercial reach. WORLD CHAMPIONS 2019 North America's Concacaf has since joined UEFA in rejecting the plan, adding further pressure on Infantino. Because the decision affects major nations including Germany, France, England and reigning champions Spain, the boycott, if it holds, would significantly disrupt future men's and women's World Cups. UEFA further stated it would not participate in any FIFA competition "for so long as these proposals remain alive," unless the plan is fully abandoned and FIFA gives binding assurances it will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership. Following an emergency virtual meeting, UEFA's vote was unanimous, with all 55 members in favor, and the federation declared that "the World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product," calling it a legacy "built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent." Reports indicate the core investor would be a New York venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner. FIFA's plan reportedly includes payouts of more than $80 million to each of its 211 member associations between now and 2037, with Infantino setting a September 19 deadline for associations to accept it by majority vote. The dispute began two days earlier when FIFA revealed a proposal to spin off its commercial and event operations into a new entity, reportedly called FIFA Forward Enterprise, valued at around $20 billion, with roughly 20% to be owned by outside investors. UEFA's, Union of European Football Associations, 55 member nations have unanimously voted to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, in protest at FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell a stake in football's biggest tournaments to private investors.