UEFA and CONCACAF reject FIFA's plan to sell stake in World Cup commercial rights, threaten boycott

The FIFA plan

On Tuesday, FIFA announced a proposal to create a new entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would take over commercial rights to all FIFA tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup. The entity would be valued at around $20 billion. FIFA aims to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling a minority stake of up to 20 percent to private investors, while retaining majority control. President Gianni Infantino described the project as a "unique opportunity" for global football development and said he saw no alternative.

UEFA threatens boycott

On Thursday, all 55 member federations of UEFA held a crisis meeting and unanimously rejected the proposal. The European governing body announced that no UEFA national team would participate in any FIFA tournament as long as the plan remains on the table, unless it is withdrawn in full and FIFA gives a binding commitment never to open ownership of its governance or tournaments to private investors.

“This crosses a line that football's governing institutions should never cross. UEFA takes it extremely seriously.”

UEFA argued that once external investors hold equity in FIFA tournaments, commercial returns and investor expectations would become the dominant force, with decisions on match calendars, competition formats and the future of the sport driven by shareholder interests rather than the good of the game. The boycott would begin with the Women's U-20 World Cup, which starts on 5 September in Katowice, Poland, where six European teams are due to compete. The next men's World Cup is scheduled for 2030 in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Europe has won 13 of the 23 men's World Cups, including the most recent edition, won by Spain.

CONCACAF joins the opposition

Later on Thursday, CONCACAF, the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean, held a meeting of its 41 member federations and also unanimously rejected the FIFA plan. In a statement, the organisation expressed deep concern over the lack of proper procedures, the artificially imposed short deadline for a decision, and the absence of analysis and consent from FIFA's oversight bodies.

“Participants expressed deep concern over the lack of proper procedures regarding these proposals, the artificially imposed and short deadline for a decision, and the lack of analysis and consent from FIFA's appropriate supervisory bodies.”

CONCACAF further noted that after the most profitable World Cup in history, there is no justification for funding new football initiatives with private capital. The confederation instructed its representatives on the FIFA Council to explore financing projects from existing reserves and to remind President Infantino that he must ensure proper governance procedures are respected in every matter. Unlike UEFA, CONCACAF did not yet announce a boycott, but its rejection adds significant pressure.

Wider opposition and the September deadline

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has also criticised the plan, with president Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa accusing FIFA of undermining principles of cooperation, solidarity and transparency. FIFA has set a deadline of 19 September for its 211 member associations to approve the proposal. Federations that accept by that date would receive an immediate payout, reported by some sources as $20 million and by others as $40 million. Critics argue the financial incentive is designed to secure quick approval from smaller associations before all consequences are clear.

Background tensions

Relations between UEFA and FIFA have been strained for years, and the expanded 2025 Club World Cup, with a $1 billion prize pool for 32 teams, now directly competes with the Champions League. Player unions have also raised concerns about an increasingly congested calendar caused by additional tournaments. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.