3 min readUpdated: Jul 30, 2026 10:16 PM IST European football’s governing body UEFA’s member associations on Thursday unanimously voted to boycott the World Cup ⁠and other FIFA competitions in protest against FIFA’s plan ⁠to sell stakes to external ‌investors in a subsidiary that will run the ⁠global ⁠governing body’s tournaments. The decision was taken in a virtual emergency meeting convened on Thursday. “Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for ‌the next generation. As a result ​of today’s discussion, ​no UEFA ​national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and ​binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again ⁠open its governance or competitions to private ownership. Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination,” UEFA said in a statement. “UEFA and its 55 member associations stand …