UEFA votes to boycott FIFA World Cups over private ownership plans

European football's governing body, UEFA, has voted to boycott future men's and women's FIFA World Cups in response to proposals allowing private investors to buy stakes in the tournaments. Following an emergency meeting involving its 55 member associations, UEFA announced that no European national teams will participate in FIFA competitions while the plans remain active.

UEFA stated that the World Cup "cannot be viewed as an investment product" and demanded that FIFA abandon the initiative entirely. The organization also requested binding guarantees that FIFA will never open its governance or international competitions to private ownership in the future. The conflict marks a significant escalation between football's global and European governing bodies over the commercialization of international tournaments.

Sources: Point, Sweden Herald.