UEFA’s 55 member associations have reportedly agreed unanimously to boycott future international competitions if Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private-sector investors goes ahead, according to French broadcaster RMC.
The threat escalates an increasingly serious dispute between UEFA and FIFA over the proposed commercial structure, and raises questions about the financial consequences of staging a World Cup without Europe’s national teams.
Although threats of boycotts rarely develop into actual withdrawals, the absence of Europe’s leading sides would have major implications for FIFA’s broadcasting, sponsorship and matchday revenues.
FIFA generated about $15bn during the 2023-26 commercial cycle, almost twice the amount recorded in the previous cycle. The men’s World Cup was responsible for 85% of that income.
Sports economics expert Christophe Lepetit divides FIFA’s revenue into three main areas: television rights, which account for roughly one-third, sponsorship, and ticketing and hospitality, each contributing between 22% and 24%.
Europe is central to all three sectors because of the strength of its teams and the commercial appeal of its players. European club competitions, particularly the Champions League, have also helped create global stars including Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rodri and Kylian Mbappe.
FIFA benefits from the international popularity of those players when they represent their national teams at the World Cup.
“If you replace Germany with Curacao or France with Cape Verde, without wanting to offend anyone, I’m not entirely sure it would generate the same level of interest from the media, sponsors or supporters,” Lepetit said.
Broadcasters and sponsors face major losses
Broadcasters would be expected to be the first commercial partners to seek new terms. Lepetit estimates that the value of the World Cup broadcast rights in France could fall sharply if the French team were absent.
M6 paid €120m for the rights to the 2026 World Cup, but Lepetit believes that figure could drop to about €12m without France taking part.
Sponsorship agreements would also lose value, while ticketing and hospitality income could decline. European supporters are among the biggest spenders when attending major sporting events, making their absence particularly damaging to FIFA’s matchday business.
Lepetit described a European boycott as a “tsunami for FIFA’s economic model”.
Infantino wants to establish a new commercial company to sell the marketing and commercial rights to FIFA competitions. The company has been valued at about €17.5bn, although that assessment is partly based on the World Cup’s recent financial performance.
At that tournament, six of the eight teams that reached the quarter-finals were European.
Lepetit warned that the proposed company’s valuation would be placed under severe pressure if Europe withdrew.
“The value assigned to your company would not be €17.5bn. It could become €10bn, €12bn, €8bn or even less. Everything is connected and interlinked,” he said.
He also believes Infantino would not be able to make up the resulting shortfall.
However, France and the rest of Europe would suffer significant financial consequences too.
National football associations would lose part of their commercial revenue, while sponsors and sportswear companies could seek to renegotiate their contracts. Players would also miss out on the chance to compete in the most prestigious tournament in international football.
“Everyone ultimately loses: the fans, the players, the national associations, UEFA, the confederations and FIFA,” Lepetit said.
