Europe's 55 Football Associations Vote to Boycott FIFA World Cup

Europe's football governing bodies have decided to boycott the FIFA World Cup in protest against FIFA's plan to sell a stake in its commercial business to private investors. The decision was reportedly made during a virtual meeting of UEFA's 55 member associations on Thursday, according to reports by BBC, The Athletic, and other international media outlets.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently proposed the creation of a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would consolidate FIFA's commercial rights and tournament operations under a single organization.

Under the proposal, FIFA plans to sell a minority stake in the new company to private investors at a valuation of approximately $20 billion, with the aim of raising around $4.2 billion. Reports indicate that Thrive Eternal, an investment firm linked to Joshua Kushner, is among the potential investors.

UEFA has strongly opposed the proposal from the outset, arguing that the governance and integrity of football should never be treated as a commercial asset for sale. Amid growing tensions, UEFA's member associations voted on Thursday in favor of boycotting upcoming FIFA World Cup tournaments.

According to the international football calendar, the next FIFA World Cup event is the FIFA Women's World Cup, scheduled to be held in Brazil next summer. It will be followed by the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. If UEFA's boycott is implemented, both tournaments could face significant consequences.

Although FIFA's proposal still requires approval from its member associations, UEFA's latest move is widely viewed as a major escalation that could place considerable pressure on the world football governing body.