▲ The logo of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
European countries have decided to boycott the World Cup and all other competitions organized by FIFA if the international governing body pushes ahead with its plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
In a statement, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) said, "We unanimously and firmly reject FIFA's proposal to transfer ownership stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors." It added, "Unless this proposal is fully withdrawn and FIFA makes a binding commitment not to open future governance or tournament operations to private ownership, no UEFA member national team will participate in FIFA-organized competitions."
"The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product, and no part of the World Cup can be handed over to private investors," UEFA emphasized, adding, "The World Cup is not for sale."
Targeting FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who is pushing for this initiative, UEFA criticized, "This is not merely a severe failure of leadership, but FIFA's voluntary abdication of its responsibility as the guardian of world football."
UEFA warned, "The moment external investors acquire ownership stakes in FIFA tournaments, football will change forever. Commercial revenues will become a permanent obligation, and investors' expectations will pressure FIFA day in and day out."
Recently, President Infantino unveiled a plan to establish a subsidiary valued at 20 billion dollars to operate FIFA-organized tournaments, including the World Cup, and sell a portion of the subsidiary's stake to private investors.
He sent a letter to the 211 member football associations offering to pay 40 million dollars (approx. 58 billion won) to each association if they support the plan by September 19, drawing widespread backlash from the football community.
British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also issued a statement supporting UEFA's decision to boycott.
Nandy stated, "This is a principled decision that we strongly support. Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It is time to step up decisively to protect our game."
According to Reuters, UEFA, which has 55 European nations as members, holds powerful commercial influence, generating 4.4 billion euros (approx. 7.2 trillion won) in revenue from top-tier European club competitions in the 2024–2025 season alone.
Given that 6 out of the top 10 countries in both the men's and women's global football rankings belong to UEFA, European nations hold immense stature in international football, meaning that a boycott by European countries would inevitably deal a heavy blow to FIFA's box office success.
If European nations pull out, the 2027 Women's World Cup, scheduled to be held in Brazil next year, would also face inevitable disruptions.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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