Uefa’s World Cup boycott: Which countries are involved – and will it cover 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup? | OneFootball

Uefa will boycott all Fifa competitions if Gianni Infantino’s controversial plans to sell off stakes in its major tournaments to external investors are voted through, it was announced on Thursday.

A Uefa statement, following an emergency meeting, said: “Uefa and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.

“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.

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Spain won the last Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2023 but, as it stands, will boycott the 2027 event (Getty)

Uefa were left dismayed that Infantino has given Fifa’s member associations just 53 days to decide their position and are outraged by Infantino promising a $40m (£30m) windfall to nations who back the proposals, or have the one-off payment withdrawn. Uefa previously said that Infantino’s plans to sell off stakes in Fifa’s major tournaments to private investors, including members of Donald Trump’s family, “crossed a line”.

What have Uefa agreed?

An emergency virtual meeting on Thursday was held between all 55 national associations which are members of Uefa, European football’s governing body.

In a lengthy statement, Uefa confirmed that “no Uefa national teams will participate in any Fifa competition for so long as these proposals remain alive” – adding “unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that Fifa will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.”

It added: “Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination.”

What tournaments will it cover?

It will cover all Fifa-sanctioned tournaments covering national teams. As it stands, the boycott will not cover club teams, meaning the planned 2029 Fifa Club World Cup would not be affected.

As such, the first senior tournament would be the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup, taking place between 24 June and 25 July, in Brazil next year.

Europe have 11 guaranteed slots in the 32-team competition. Spain are the defending champions, while England were finalists last time out in Australia.

England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all have scheduled play-off qualifiers in October, which are organised by Uefa. Whether these matches specifically will go ahead, therefore, is yet to be confirmed.

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England are European champions but would boycott next year’s Fifa World Cup as it stands (Getty)

The next men’s World Cup takes place in 2030 in Spain, Portugal and Morocco – with opening games in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The next Fifa tournament at any age group is the 2026 Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which starts on 5 September in Poland. Six European teams, including England, were set to compete.

The 2026 Fifa Under-17 World Cup, for which England did not qualify, starts on 19 November in Qatar.

What have the FA said?

Following the Uefa statement, an FA spokeswoman said: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view.

“We oppose FIFA’s plans - the FIFA World Cup belongs to football and always will."

What happens now?

First, let’s see how all the other confederations respond - and whether they also agree to a boycott.

Asia (AFC) and North America (CONCACAF) have all voiced their opposition and disapproval of the plans in the last few days. The South American and African federations, however, have been quiet so far.

Really though, it’s now over to Fifa.

Will Infantino and his executives plough on undeterred with their plans? Or will they modify, amend or abandon their proposals, given the uproar across Europe?