FA aligns with UEFA boycott threat in escalating row over Infantino World Cup privatisation plan

The Football Association has thrown its full support behind UEFA’s threat to withdraw all European national teams from future FIFA competitions if Gianni Infantino presses ahead with a controversial plan to part-privatise the World Cup.

Tensions between FIFA and UEFA have intensified dramatically after European federations warned they were prepared to boycott the tournament should the FIFA president move forward with a proposal to hand significant control of its flagship competition to private investors.

Infantino, who has been under mounting criticism, is reported to be pursuing the creation of a sister company called “FIFA Forward Enterprise”. This new entity would run FIFA competitions – with the World Cup at its core – before a substantial shareholding is sold on to private-sector investors. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has already condemned the project, describing it as having “crossed every line”.

UEFA’s 55 member associations were summoned to an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss their response. Following those talks, European football’s governing body issued a strongly worded collective statement setting out an unprecedented position.

“Following today’s discussions, no national team under UEFA’s jurisdiction will take part in any FIFA competition for as long as these proposals remain on the table, unless they are dropped entirely and binding guarantees are provided that FIFA will not open its boards or competitions to private ownership,” the statement read.

FA: ‘The World Cup belongs to football’

The English FA has now publicly backed that stance. In comments carried by British newspaper The Sun, a spokesperson for the FA underlined England’s support for the European-wide position and rejected FIFA’s approach.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support their collective stance,” the FA spokesperson said.

“We oppose FIFA’s plans, because the FIFA World Cup belongs to football and will always belong to football,” the representative added.

The warning from Europe leaves the next edition of the World Cup facing what could become a fundamental crisis. If the boycott were enforced, the tournament would, in theory, go ahead without some of the game’s most high-profile nations, including England, France and Spain.

FIFA insists simple majority is enough

FIFA, for its part, maintains it requires only the backing of a majority of its 211 member associations to push the scheme through, suggesting it could proceed without European support. That position has done little to quell the backlash, with fierce criticism emerging from both within and beyond the football community.

One of the most prominent political interventions came from UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took to social media to denounce the idea of treating the World Cup as a commercial asset.

Posting on X, Burnham wrote: “Football is not owned by investors, it is owned by the fans… The World Cup is not a commodity. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it has never belonged to anyone to sell. Football belongs to the fans, it always has and it always will.”

The dispute now centres on whether FIFA will withdraw or revise the privatisation blueprint, or attempt to advance it without Europe’s involvement – a move that would deepen a rift between the sport’s global governing body and its most powerful confederation, and place the future shape of the World Cup under unprecedented strain.