Earthquake in the football world: European national teams and Israel may boycott the next World Cup

All 55 UEFA football associations, including Israel, have unanimously decided to boycott FIFA tournaments if the organization approves President Gianni Infantino's plan to involve private investors in managing competitions. The first boycott could take place as early as October.

All 55 football associations within UEFA, including Israel, have unanimously decided to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA tournaments if President Gianni Infantino's plan to involve private investors in managing competitions is implemented. This was announced on Thursday, July 30, following an emergency meeting. According to the initiative, new investors could gain control over key commercial areas, including ticket sales. UEFA strongly opposes this idea, arguing that such a reform would destroy the principles of sports fairness and create an advantage for certain national teams due to financial resources. The European organization's position has already been officially supported by the British Prime Minister. The first test could be the Women's World Cup playoffs in October. The official vote on Infantino's initiative will take place in September at the FIFA Congress. Despite the unity of European federations, their influence is limited: UEFA unites only 55 of FIFA's 211 members. Infantino is expected to secure a simple majority thanks to the support of Asian, African, and South American associations. UEFA is considering nominating an alternative candidate for the FIFA presidency, in particular Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Earlier, the British Times reported that the plan involves partial privatization of the World Cup with the participation of American entrepreneur Joshua Kushner. It is assumed that after the end of his term in 2031, Infantino could head a new company with a salary comparable to the income of an NFL commissioner (about $64 million per year).