All 55 European Soccer Associations Voted to Boycott the World Cup, Meaning Champions Spain, France and England Would Skip 2030

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Players and match officials lined up on the pitch before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Dan Mullan / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

All 55 of UEFA’s national associations voted the same way in one virtual meeting: no European team plays a FIFA competition while the private-investment plan stays alive. That’s the world champions and most of the game’s biggest teams walking away at once.

Players and match officials lined up on the pitch before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium.
At New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026, players from Spain and Argentina line up with match officials before the 2026 World Cup Final. Photo by Dan Mullan / Getty Images.

FIFA wants to sell private stakes in the World Cup through a new $20 billion entity, and Europe just said no team of its will show up while that plan exists.

UEFA’s 55 member associations approved the boycott unanimously in an emergency virtual meeting Thursday, less than two weeks after the 2026 World Cup ended. Their statement said no UEFA national team will play any FIFA competition “for so long as these proposals remain alive,” unless FIFA abandons the plan entirely and gives binding assurances it will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.

The commercial subsidiary, called FIFA Forward Enterprise, would hand control of FIFA’s competitions to outside money. The main proposed investor group, Thrive Eternal, is headed by Joshua Kushner, younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to President Donald Trump’s daughter. FIFA and Gianni Infantino announced the plan Tuesday and say the money would be reinvested into the sport.

Two men in dark suits jointly holding the gold FIFA World Cup trophy at a stadium ceremony.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump jointly hold the FIFA World Cup Winner’s Trophy at the 2026 World Cup Final ceremony at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026. Photo by Dan Mullan / Getty Images.

Europe carries weight far past its share of FIFA’s membership. UEFA is 55 of FIFA’s 211 associations, but its teams hold six of the top 10 spots in both the men’s and women’s world rankings. At the 2026 World Cup, UEFA members made up six of the eight quarterfinalists and three of the four semifinalists, and Spain won it.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, which starts June 24, would lose three of its last four semifinalists from 2023, including defending champion Spain. UEFA called FIFA’s plan “irresponsible and indefensible” and accused the governing body of “governance by intimidation.”

England’s Football Association said it stands “shoulder to shoulder” with the European teams. Britain’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy backed the vote as a “principled decision,” saying, “Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors.”

Infantino faces reelection next March.

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