According to an exclusive report by Sky News, European nations are considering boycotting the World Cup if FIFA President Gianni Infantino continues to push forward with plans to sell a portion of FIFA’s commercial rights to private investors.
Sources say that UEFA member associations will hold an emergency virtual meeting this week to discuss opposing FIFA's attempt to bring in external investment to establish a new commercial company.
FIFA only confirmed Infantino's ambition to create a new $20 billion (£15 billion) subsidiary after UEFA publicly expressed concern over the rumored plans. The ambition involves raising $4.2 billion (£3.16 billion) by selling a stake of over 20% in this new “FIFA Forward Enterprises.”
It is understood that the English FA had no prior knowledge of this plan before FIFA’s rushed announcement on Tuesday.
FIFA made no mention of this major strategy during meetings with national football associations in New York on the eve of the World Cup final. These plans, along with the manner in which they were introduced, have once again sparked intense dissatisfaction within UEFA regarding Infantino’s leadership of FIFA.
The European football governing body stated in a declaration: “This crosses a red line that football governing bodies must never cross. UEFA takes this extremely seriously. Every national football association should as well. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, fans, governments, and everyone who cares about the future of football.”
“The soul and governance of football are not assets for sale—especially under complete opacity where nobody knows who stands to profit. None of us owns football. This is not something FIFA can sell.”
Sky Sports understands that if Infantino does not back down, European nations are prepared to deploy the ultimate threat—boycotting the World Cup.
The next World Cup will be the Women's World Cup held in Brazil next year.
In 2021, FIFA dropped a proposal to hold the World Cup biennially after UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin stated that European countries would not participate.
Just last month, FIFA was accused by UEFA during the World Cup of damaging football's integrity after lifting a temporary suspension on US striker Folarin Balogun at the direct request of US President Donald Trump.
Čeferin subsequently skipped the World Cup final, despite having attended the opening match.
However, back in 2025, when Infantino arrived late to his own FIFA Congress to instead join Trump's Gulf trip, UEFA accused him of prioritizing "private political interests." FIFA is currently collaborating with JPMorgan Chase, while Infantino's "FIFA Forward Enterprises" plan is also linked to Trump.
FIFA confirmed that the proposed primary investment group is Thrive Eternal. Its CEO is Josh Kushner, whose brother Jared is Trump's son-in-law.
Sky News reported in February that Infantino pushed FIFA cryptocurrency plans while attending a private event hosted by World Liberty Financial, an enterprise owned by the Trump family. Responding to UEFA's criticism on Tuesday, Infantino characterized the sale plan as raising more funds for member associations to invest in football.
From 2027 to 2030, member associations would be eligible to receive $20 million instead of $8 million for infrastructure, coaching development, national team programs, tournament hosting, and grassroots growth.
Infantino stated: “Our next phase of growth requires a supporting structure that allows football's commercial arm to operate like a focused, professional business and distribute its value more broadly and equitably across the world.”
“Every FIFA member association should have the opportunity to access a fair share of available funding to shape its own future, making autonomous decisions rather than depending on others. This is about the democratization of global football.”
FIFA did not immediately comment on the bonus Infantino might receive for advancing this $20 billion plan. His annual compensation last year reached $6 million—nearly half of which came from bonuses, which grew by 33% due to the successful hosting of the expanded Club World Cup in the United States. Current term limits dictate that if he is re-elected as FIFA president next year following his 2016 succession of the ousted Sepp Blatter, he must step down from the presidency in 2031.
However, it is understood that if the spinoff plan is approved, Infantino could transition to a more lucrative role overseeing World Cup affairs.
UEFA's opposition could be hindered by the fact that it represents only 55 member associations, whereas FIFA stated it only needs a simple majority among its 211 member associations—many of which lack Europe's financial power and rely on FIFA funding.
However, FIFA relies heavily on European teams to guarantee the commercial and competitive success of the World Cup—with Spain being the current reigning champions in both the men's and women's games—giving them the leverage to oppose Infantino by threatening a walkout.
