FIFA to continue World Cup privatisation consultation despite UEFA criticism

FIFA have insisted they will press ahead with their "open and democratic" consultation over plans to open the World Cup to private investment, a day after UEFA's 55 member federations voted unanimously to boycott FIFA competitions in protest.

In a statement issued in Paris on Friday, world football's governing body said its already-planned consultation had been "interrupted by incorrect press reports" and that it was moving forward "to ensure that everyone can cast their vote based on the facts".

The plan at the centre of the dispute, championed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, would hand the management of the World Cup's commercial rights to a new company backed by private investors. UEFA had demanded the project be withdrawn and threatened to refuse to play matches under FIFA's auspices if it was not. Announcing its decision on Thursday, the European body said "football is not for sale" and that its refusal was "definitive", describing the proposal as "irresponsible and indefensible" for having been "conceived in secret and brought almost to approval without any meaningful consultation".

The crisis has already claimed a senior figure inside FIFA: Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino's principal advisers, announced his immediate resignation on Friday, citing his strong opposition to the project.

With FIFA refusing to pause the consultation and UEFA holding to its boycott threat, the two bodies are on a collision course that threatens to reshape the international match calendar and cast a shadow over the next World Cup cycle. FIFA insists the process remains "open and democratic" and that stakeholders will still get their say.

Sources

• [Sky TG24](https://tg24.sky.it/sport/2026/07/31/fifa-uefa-scontro-mondiali)
• [Tuttomercatoweb](https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/altre-notizie/fifa-continueremo-privatizzazione-critiche-2258779)