Is Infantino finished? Could Uefa boycott World Cup? What happens now?
World Cup 2026
The bombshell statement landed at 16:00 BST on Thursday, 30 July.
In terms of impact, European football’s governing body Uefa could not have gone any bigger.
“Uefa and its national associations will not participate in Fifa competitions,” it said.
Match Details
Eleven brutal words. The definitive reaction to Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell a 20% stake in a subsidiary company set up to run the world governing body’s competitions, including the World Cup.
A company it is intended Fifa will run but that will be part-funded by private investors, including the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Joshua Kushner.
It feels as though no-one who matters knows how this situation is going to play out just yet.
Tournament Impact
“Not sure the detail was considered when deciding the overall policy,” was the response from a senior European football source when asked what this decision means for the U20 Women’s World Cup, starting on 5 September, being hosted by Poland and featuring plenty of European nations.
Uefa’s boycott threat will be activated if Infantino’s funding deal is accepted.
Given 19 September is the deadline for countries to accept Fifa’s deal and bank $20m (£15m) on 1 January, in theory, countries could be pulling out of that tournament in the middle of the quarter-finals and before the semis.
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