​UPDATED: All 55 UEFA member associations have voted to boycott FIFA soccer competitions – including the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup – if FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors is approved by member associations, according to BBC Sport. The decision came out of an emergency meeting Thursday, days after FIFA announced the plans Tuesday. The first test of the stance arrives in October, when the Women’s World Cup play-offs are scheduled.PREVIOUSLY: Opposition is growing in the soccer world to a plan by the sport’s governing body, FIFA, to spin off its events, principally the World Cup, as a separate commercial entity and invite investors to take a stake in it.More from VarietyHere’s How to Watch FOX Sports Online for FreeHere’s Where to Watch the 2026 UEFA Champions League Final Live OnlineFIFA Sets TikTok as ‘Preferred Platform’ Content Partner for 2026 World Cup
The new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, has been valued at about $20 billion. FIFA would seek to sell a roughly 20% stake in the entity. Among the potential investors is Thrive Eternal, led by Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared, according to the Financial Times.
Among the opponents of the plan are the sport’s governing bodies in North America and Europe.
Concacaf, which runs soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, said it was “deeply concerned by the lack of due process” when the plan was conceived. The federation said it was disappointed that the plan has been revealed “before any discussion with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders has taken place.”
UEFA, which runs the sport in Europe, said FIFA’s plan “crosses a line that [soccer’s] governing institutions should never cross.” It added, “The soul and governance of [soccer] are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of [soccer]. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
UEFA is fast-tracking efforts to hold an emergency meeting of its member associations this week, sources told ESPN, to discuss plans, including a potential World Cup boycott.
The FIFA plan is subject to ratification by its 211 national member associations. Concacaf represents 41 members, while UEFA has 55.
Under the plan, funds raised from the sale of a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise would be used in part to increase annual payments to members from $2 million a year to $5 million. Each would also receive a one-off payment of $20 million.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement, “Every FIFA member association should have an opportunity to seek a fair share of the available funding to shape its own future, deciding for itself rather than relying on others. This is about the democratization of [soccer] worldwide.”
Among other opponents of the plan are U.K. prime minister Andy Burnham, who said, “The World Cup is