UEFA maintains FIFA boycott despite Infantino's withdrawal of World Cup selloff plan

UEFA holds firm on boycott

UEFA announced on Thursday 6 August that its boycott of all FIFA competitions, including World Cups, remains in full force. The decision comes despite FIFA president Gianni Infantino having withdrawn his proposal to sell minority stakes in World Cups and other events to private investors. UEFA's 55 member associations voted unanimously last Thursday, 30 July, to withdraw from all FIFA events following Infantino's announcement of the selloff plan. The European governing body outlined two conditions for a return to FIFA competitions. First, the proposals to sell off major competitions had to be withdrawn, a requirement UEFA says has already been met. Second, UEFA demands assurances that no similar attempt to commercialise the sport in this way will ever be made again. According to UEFA, this second condition has not been satisfied.

Loss of confidence in Infantino

UEFA has explicitly stated it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency, a position first articulated in a statement on Saturday 1 August and reaffirmed on 6 August. The organisation's declaration, transmitted to AFP, stressed that member federations had been "very clear about the conditions attached to their non-participation in FIFA competitions."

These conditions have not been met. In addition, UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency. That position holds.

UEFA also dismissed the significance of Wednesday's announcement that individuals employed by the FIFA president supported him at the meeting in Morocco. The UEFA statement noted that these are people "whose careers depend on his favour" and that their agreement "changes nothing."

FIFA leadership backs Infantino

Under mounting pressure from across the sport, Infantino withdrew the selloff proposal and received the backing of FIFA's leadership at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday 5 August. The global body's leadership endorsed Infantino despite the uproar caused by his initial plan to seek private investment in World Cups and other flagship events.

Ouest France reports that UEFA's continued boycott is aimed at pushing Infantino to resign from his position as FIFA president, framing the standoff as a pressure campaign against the global body's leader rather than merely a policy dispute over private investment.

Stalemate between governing bodies

UEFA's statement makes clear that the withdrawal of the selloff proposal alone is insufficient for a resumption of relations. The organisation is seeking guarantees that FIFA will never again attempt to bring private investors into its competitions. Without such assurances, UEFA's 55 member associations will continue to withhold participation from all FIFA-organised events, including future World Cups.

The crisis has exposed a deep rift between the European and global governing bodies of football. UEFA's position, unanimously adopted by all 55 member associations, represents the most significant challenge to Infantino's leadership since he took office. The boycott, if sustained, would mean European teams absent from World Cups and other FIFA tournaments, a scenario with far-reaching consequences for the sport's commercial and competitive landscape. Neither side has indicated a pathway to resolution, with UEFA demanding structural guarantees and FIFA's leadership publicly standing behind its president.