Uefa votes 55-0 to boycott Fifa competitions if Infantino’s World Cup sale plans proceed

Uefa’s membership has unanimously approved a boycott of Fifa events if proposals to sell parts of the World Cup go ahead, with a 55-0 vote taken at an emergency meeting on Thursday. The decision would take effect beginning with next year’s Women’s World Cup.

European associations agreed they would pull out of future World Cups and other competitions organised by Fifa should Gianni Infantino press ahead with plans to transfer portions of the tournament to US-based private investors. In a joint statement the membership said they "unanimously and unequivocally reject" the proposals. The emergency session, which lasted just short of two hours, concluded with a united front despite prior concerns about smaller nations being tempted by the financial terms on offer.

Delegates described the outcome as comprehensive: all 55 Uefa members resolved not to participate in any forthcoming Fifa-run events if the sale scheme is implemented. The vote was passed without dissent, underlining the depth of opposition across Europe to what members characterised as a fundamental change in the governance and commercial structure of the World Cup.

The boycott timetable is explicit in its immediate target, beginning with the next staging of the Women’s World Cup. That specification signals that Uefa’s protest would affect both men’s and women’s tournaments administered by Fifa, with the women’s competition named as the first event subject to the collective refusal to take part.

Meeting delegates had entered the emergency session amid speculation that wealthier incentives might sway smaller associations, but the final tally indicated otherwise. The near-two-hour meeting produced a unanimous vote, removing any ambiguity about the continental body's official position on the proposals under discussion.

Uefa framed the action as a coordinated response to proposals that would allocate significant parts of the World Cup to private, US-based investment. Members framed their refusal as a collective rejection of the specific commercial plan put forward by Fifa’s leadership, maintaining a single, cohesive stance throughout the emergency meeting.

The unanimous 55-0 decision and the declaration that members "unanimously and unequivocally reject" the plans leave little room for doubt about Europe’s stance should the sale proceed. The next practical effect of that stance would be the withdrawal from next year’s Women’s World Cup if the proposals are advanced.