At a meeting on Thursday, European nations agreed to boycott men's and women's World Cups unless FIFA's private investment plans are shelved

European soccer governing body UEFA says it will boycott World Cup competitions over FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to inject private money.

The region that includes the U.S. said "a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency is imperative." Europe's soccer governing body said "the current FIFA leadership" has "lost UEFA's confidence."

This is an updated version of an article that first appeared on The Athletic in May 2025. For an insight into the one-upmanship between FIFA, the world football governing body, and UEFA, its European counterpart,

UEFA, European soccer’s 55-member governing body, is set to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA-organized competitions in protest of a $20 billion Wall Street-style takeover of the global game, sources familiar with the matter told The Post.

The Asian Football Confederation has joined the North, Central America and Caribbean football association and UEFA in opposition to FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors.

Gianni ⁠Infantino has said Fifa ​has scrapped plans to ⁠sell a stake in the World ⁠Cup to private ​investors ‌after widespread ‌backlash