Uefa to convene 55 members in emergency session over Infantino World Cup stake proposal
Uefa has summoned its 55 members for an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon to plot a collective response to Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors. A European boycott of Fifa tournaments is among the options being discussed, and officials have flagged mounting resistance within the organisation.
The meeting has been called as tensions deepen over Fifa’s commercial proposals, which critics say center on giving private investors ownership interests in major competitions. ‘Uefa knows there is significant and growing opposition’ has been voiced inside the confederation as delegates prepare to debate possible countermeasures. The discussions follow proposals that focus primarily on monetising the men’s World Cup and Club World Cup and have prompted concern across Europe.
Among the measures under consideration is a coordinated refusal to participate in certain Fifa events. It has been reported that, because the next major tournament on the Fifa calendar is the Women’s World Cup, a boycott of next year’s Women’s World Cup has been mentioned in preliminary discussions. Delegates are said to be weighing the effectiveness of a boycott against the ethical and sporting consequences of withholding teams from the women’s competition.
Sources within the confederation stress there is discomfort about damaging the women’s game while attempting to protest proposals that chiefly affect the men’s schedule and the Club World Cup. That hesitation appears likely to shape the tactics Uefa’s members will entertain when they meet on Thursday afternoon. The scale and speed of the proposed commercial changes have intensified pressure for a rapid and unified response from European federations.
The emergency session brings together all 55 Uefa members to consider a range of possible responses and to seek common ground on how to approach Fifa leadership. Delegates will discuss whether coordinated action can influence or alter the trajectory of the plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The choice of measures will be informed by concerns over sporting integrity, commercial control and potential harm to competitions outside the men’s World Cup.
How Uefa frames any formal opposition will be decided at the meeting, with attention focused on balancing effective leverage against Fifa and the potential collateral impact on international tournaments. Options being explored include formal statements, legal challenges and concerted withdrawal, but delegates are conscious of the reputational and practical costs of each route.
The immediate outcome of Thursday’s emergency meeting will indicate the extent of European unity in pushing back against the proposals and whether concrete steps, including a boycott, will move from talk into action. Uefa members will leave the session with a clearer view of the collective stance on Gianni Infantino’s plan and the next moves available to them.