European football is on the brink of a major conflict with FIFA. All 55 national associations within UEFA have declared that their teams will not participate in tournaments under the International Federation of Association Football until it abandons the idea of transferring part of the rights to the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The joint statement by UEFA and national federations was published on July 30.
UEFA emphasized that FIFA's proposal was rejected "unanimously and unconditionally." According to the European side, the World Cup is not a commercial asset but the main legacy of world football, built over decades.
The organization believes that transferring a share of rights to private investors will forever change world football. If business gains influence over major tournaments, key decisions—from match schedules to competition formats—will be made with shareholder interests in mind, not the sport itself.
The European football body also sharply criticized FIFA's leadership for preparing such a large-scale initiative without full discussion with national federations.
The statement says the project was developed virtually behind closed doors and was nearly approved without consulting those responsible for football development. UEFA called this approach a manifestation of a serious governance crisis.
Furthermore, European associations stated that national federations were effectively given an ultimatum: either agree to the changes or face consequences.
UEFA declared that all European national teams will boycott FIFA competitions until the proposal to sell a stake to private investors is completely withdrawn.
"The World Cup belongs to football. It always has and always will. As long as Europe has a voice, it will never be put up for sale," the statement's concluding part reads.
The European side also demands official and legally binding guarantees that FIFA will not return to such initiatives in the future.