Boycott the World Cup! UEFA officially state it will refuse to participate in FIFA competitions unless the share-selling proposal scrapped

UEFA has issued a statement regarding FIFA's plan to set up a commercial subsidiary and sell its shares, announcing that all 55 member associations will boycott all FIFA competitions as long as this proposal remains in place.

 

Joint Statement by UEFA and its 55 Member Associations

 

UEFA and its national associations will not take part in competitions under FIFA.

UEFA and its 55 member associations share a unified stance. We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer the equity of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors.

The World Cup must never be treated as an investment product. It is one of the greatest sporting legacies of football, forged by generations of players, national teams and fans from every continent. No part of it should be handed over to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.

A proposal with such far-reaching impacts on football has been hatched behind closed doors and pushed to the brink of approval without any substantial consultations with football stakeholders. This is extremely irresponsible and completely untenable. It represents a severe failure of leadership, as well as a dereliction of FIFA’s duty as the guardian of world football.

Now national associations worldwide face an ultimatum: either accept the irreversible seizure of football’s greatest competitions, or bear the consequences. This is by no means a so-called "democratic vote", but coercive governance — an act of intimidation that violates the institution’s mission of safeguarding global football in a fiduciary capacity.

Our opposition is not merely procedural.

Once external investors hold equity in FIFA’s competitions, football will be fundamentally transformed. Financial returns will become a permanent obligation, and investors’ expectations will turn into day-to-day pressure. From that moment on, every decision on the international match calendar, every rule change, and every choice shaping football’s future will no longer be guided by "what is best for football", but by "what maximises shareholder interests".

This model has no place in world football. Football’s future cannot be led by those whose primary goal is maximising financial returns. The interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and fans must never be subordinated to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain.

Europe’s position is crystal clear: we will never legitimise such a model. No one has the moral right to sell off assets that we only hold in trust for future generations.

Based on the results of today’s discussions, as long as this proposal is not scrapped, all national teams under UEFA will refuse to participate in any FIFA competitions — unless the proposal is completely abolished, and FIFA provides a legally binding guarantee that it will never open its governance or tournaments to private ownership again.

No one should doubt this: UEFA and its member associations will oppose these plans with the firmest resolve.

An institution’s dignity and value lie not in what it is willing to accept, but in the principles on which it refuses to compromise. Now is that moment.

Some things are far too precious to be measured by money. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football, and it always will. As long as Europe has a voice, it is not for sale.