Threatened boycott of September Women’s U20 World Cup increases pressure on FIFA and Gianni Infantino

A threatened boycott by national women’s teams of September’s Women’s Under-20 World Cup has intensified scrutiny of FIFA president Gianni Infantino this week, as debate over his future and governance at FIFA has moved to the front of the women’s game.

Infantino’s reputation has been dented in part by a widely criticised speech in Sydney three years ago, when he told an audience: "And I say to all the women … Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. You have the power to change. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do. You do it. Just do it. With men, with Fifa, you will find open doors. Just push the doors. They are open." His latest re-election in March 2023 remains controversial, and the threat of boycotts now hangs over September’s Under-20 tournament, the Under-17 World Cup in October and that month’s senior World Cup playoff ties.

This week Labour culture secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC that Infantino "should go" but added that she would not support a boycott of the U20 World Cup, saying she was "not generally in favour of sporting boycotts full stop – because they unfairly penalise athletes and competitors who are not responsible for the reason that these boycotts take place". The article argues that, despite the apparent unfairness to young players, countries prepared to withdraw from the under-20 event would send a powerful political message to FIFA.

The piece highlights structural gender imbalances inside FIFA as part of the rationale for protest: two women, Paola López of Mexico and Thi My Dung Nguyen of Vietnam, are among 18 members of FIFA’s disciplinary committee; all 10 members of FIFA’s Future of Football committee are men; of the 37 members of FIFA’s council, 29 are men and eight are women; and seven of the eight vice-presidents are men. It also contrasts financial prizes, noting the 2023 Women’s World Cup prize money totalled $110m while this summer’s men’s World Cup prize pot was around eight times larger, at a record-breaking $871m.

The article acknowledges improvements since Infantino took office in 2016, citing enhancements to provisions for players and coaches at women’s tournaments, growth in financial investment and a significant uplift in prize money "albeit from a very low bar," while also saying many figures in the women’s game support him. It adds that the 25-page Fifa Forward Enterprise Member Materials presentation contained only one token reference to women’s football and records England defender Lucy Bronze saying she backed a boycott "for the good of the game."

On Friday morning the situation delivered mixed signals for Infantino: the Oceania Football Confederation declared its support for him while New Zealand withdrew its backing and called for "stronger governance, accountability and transparency." Separately, FIFA published a feature article on Thursday titled "Europe’s finest hours at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup," recalling standout displays from players such as Spain’s Salma Paralluelo in 2022 and Germany’s Alexandra Popp in 2010, and noting that next month six European teams, including hosts Poland, are scheduled to compete.

The article concludes that the immediate upcoming events — September’s Under-20 World Cup, October’s Under-17 World Cup and that month’s senior World Cup playoff ties for next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil — are the arenas where participating nations could register protest, and that those decisions may influence the governance debate at FIFA in the months ahead.