‘…Fierce political and institutional clash‘
By Saidu Abubakar
It may sound absurd but it’s real. Or could it be travesty of interest that has set in? What a post-2026 FIFA World Cup gift to the football world. That UEFA’s 55-member nations have voted 55-0 to boycott all FIFA tournaments is no longer news. It’s the current development that has bade farewell to the month of July 2026 and revealing “The Big Fight”. FIFA had proposed, two days ago, to sell World Cup stakes so as to:
– Create a new $20 billion company called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to run the World Cup + other events
– Sell up to 20% stakes to private investors to raise $4.2 billion
– A group led by Joshua Kushner is expected to lead investors
– FIFA says it would keep control of governance, and all profits would be reinvested in football
– In return, each of 211 member federations would get $20M, then $22M, then $24M in development funds through 2038 instead of $8M now.
All these did not go down well with UEFA whose response is merely “This crosses a line”. UEFA and its 55-member nations became furious and called it “putting the game’s ‘soul’ up for sale”. Without wasting time UEFA reacted by:
-Boycott threat: UEFA members voted 55-0 to boycott all FIFA tournaments if the plan goes ahead
– Quote: “No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive”
– UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) said: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross”
– CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) also rejected it. AFC warned it won’t work without all 6 confederations.
while CONCACAF formally rejected the proposal over what it called a “Lack of due Process”, it’s recalled that UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin boycotted the recent World Cup final in protest of wider governance and refereeing disputes. FIFA insists “nobody is selling football” and that governance remains untouched.
Other current issues between them: World Cup 2026 expansion: Europe has 16 spots now, the biggest contingent. FIFA President, Gianni Infantino praised UEFA’s “fundamental” role in uniting the world at the 2026 World Cup.
On Money/Costs: UEFA passed on concerns from European teams that it’s hard to break even in the expanded 104-match World Cup across USA, Canada, Mexico. FIFA responded by offering to raise prize money.
Governance divide: UEFA positions itself as “custodian of the game” while FIFA is focused on global expansion and money. And truly, take away the World Cup, UEFA Champions League is next in terms of world football catchment. Then followed by Europa. The rest follow.
FIFA insists it wants private money to grow the game globally but pUEFA says football should not be owned by investors, hence the threat to pull all European teams out of FIFA competitions.
This is the biggest FIFA vs UEFA clash since the Super League fight. FIFA, it is gathered, has started a “consultation process” and wants members to approve by Sept 19.
