Will UEFA boycott the World Cup? FIFA responds: “No one is selling football”
World Cup boycott: FIFA denies selling football and confirms that the “FFE” proposal aims to fund member associations with $20 million each, amid European opposition and demands to reverse the decision.
Will UEFA boycott the World Cup? This is the question that arises after FIFA’s decision to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors sparked widespread anger, prompting UEFA and CONCACAF to threaten a boycott of FIFA tournaments unless the decision is reversed.
FIFA officially responded on Friday to these threats, confirming in a statement that “no one is selling football, and we will never accept that,” stressing that the proposal to create the “FFE” entity aims to ensure all member associations (211 associations) have the opportunity to participate in managing commercial opportunities, with an additional $20 million allocated to each regional association through the “FIFA Forward” program until 2030.
FIFA: We respect opposition but reject claims of representing everyone
FIFA said in its statement: “We have listened to the feedback from the confederations, and we want to address the issues that have been raised since the media coverage on Tuesday. We respect the comments and concerns that have been publicly raised, and we reaffirm our commitment to open and democratic consultations.”
It added: “The consultation processes we planned were disrupted due to inaccurate media reports. We will continue that process to ensure that every member association has the freedom to express its opinion based on facts.”
FIFA emphasized that “everyone has the right to express opposition and request further clarifications, but no single institution can claim to represent all 211 member associations across the world.”
Additional funding for regional associations and rejection of boycott
The statement confirmed that each regional association will receive an additional $20 million from the “FIFA Forward” development program funding over the next four years (2027-2030), regardless of the individual support it receives, noting that this funding will come from the additional revenues that the FFE entity will generate.
FIFA stressed that the establishment of the entity is conditional on the support of the majority of regional associations, otherwise its commercial activities will remain unchanged.
European rejection and potential boycott
UEFA had announced its rejection of FIFA’s proposal and threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, unless the decision was reversed, with CONCACAF joining this stance, prompting FIFA to issue this clarifying statement in an attempt to contain the crisis.
صوتت الاتحادات الأعضاء الـ55 في الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم (يويفا)، ، على مقاطعة بطولات كأس العالم إذا استمر الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم (فيفا) في خططه بيع حصص في بطولاته لمستثمرين خارجيين. pic.twitter.com/ZsWml0nE3i
— AL24news – قناة الجزائر الدولية (@AL24newschannel) July 31, 2026
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