UEFA Nations Unanimously Boycott FIFA Over World Cup Privatization Plan

All 55 UEFA member associations reject FIFA's proposal to sell competition stakes to Trump-linked investors. European teams will not play in any FIFA tournament while the plan remains alive.

In a move without precedent in modern sport, UEFA and all 55 of its national associations have declared they will boycott every FIFA competition — including the World Cup — unless FIFA abandons its plan to sell ownership stakes to private investors.

The statement, published Thursday evening, represents the most serious rupture between global football's governing bodies in history. At stake is FIFA president Gianni Infantino's proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to a consortium led by Thrive Capital — the investment firm run by Josh Kushner, brother-in-law of US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka.

"UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA's proposal," the statement reads. "The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies."

Infantino has set a September 19 deadline for football federations to accept the deal, dangling an initial $20 million payout per nation. The plan has reportedly secured backing from enough nations across Africa, Asia, and the Americas to reach a simple majority vote among FIFA's 211 members, according to BBC Sport analysis.

But UEFA's position is absolute: "No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive." The confederation condemned the process as "governance by intimidation" and an "abdication of FIFA's duty as the custodian of world football."

The boycott would effectively dismantle international football as we know it — no European nations at the World Cup, no Champions League winners on the global stage. The UEFA statement's closing line captures the stakes: "Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will."

Sources: UEFA, BBC Sport