Fifa has hit back at Uefa’s boycott of the World Cup and plans to press on with its proposals to sell stakes in its tournaments to private investors. In a statement on Friday, Fifa insisted that “nobody is selling football” and confirmed that it will continue its consultation period ahead of a vote on 19 September. On Thursday, Uefa announced that it would boycott the World Cup and all Fifa competitions if Gianni Infantino’s controversial plans to sell off stakes in its major tournaments to external investors are voted through.“Uefa and its 55 member associations stand as one,” a statement said following an emergency Uefa meeting. “We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.Meanwhile, Concacaf, the confederation representing 41 nations from North and Central America, along with the Caribbean, also made clear its opposition to Fifa’s plan, saying it “rejected the proposal”.Follow all the latest news after Uefa’s bombshell boycott threat, belowWhat has happened this week? The news first broke on Tuesday via reports in The Times and the Financial Times that Fifa was proposing to create a separate commercial entity that would sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. According to Fifa the entity, known as the Fifa Forward Enterprise, would be used to raise funds from outside sources which would then be split amongs the 211 member associations to spend for the benefit of growing football. The revelation of this plan came as a shock to Fifa’s MAs who then launched emergency meetings on Wednesday to discuss their responses to the proposal.Mike Jones31 July 2026 08:13‘Nobody is selling football’: Fifa issues response to Uefa’s threat of World Cup boycottFootball’s governing body wants to sell minority stakes in the World Cup to private investors - a move which has drawn criticism from member associations.Fifa have issued their response to concerns over the proposal and claimed that ‘nobody is selling football’.Read more here: Mike Jones31 July 2026 08:05Good morning!In case you might have missed the big news, Fifa is facing criticism from its member associations over its decision to set up a commercial body and sell off stakes in the World Cup. This proposal has infuriated MAs such as Uefa and Concacaf who have both rejected the idea with the European governing body threatening to boycott Fifa competitions unless the proposal is dropped. Fifa have, this morning, responded to the threats and concerns from Uefa as well as other federations and have released a statement reaffirming their own position. Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has publically backed the proposal and his leadership is now being called into question as well. We’ll have all the latest updates from this story throughout the day so stick with us...Mike Jones31 July 2026 08:00Uefa’s World Cup boycott: Which countries are involved – and will it cover 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup?Here’s everything you need to know about the threatened boycott:Kieran Jackson31 July 2026 07:15Fifa hit back at Uefa: 'Nobody is selling football'Fifa insists “nobody is selling football” amid criticism of its decision to launch a consultation on selling stakes in a World Cup commercial entity to private investors.However, football’s global governing body stopped short of withdrawing the controversial plan and insisted it would press ahead with the consultation period.Uefa reacted furiously when the plans to create Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) first emerged in media reports in The Times and the Financial Times on Tuesday.Less than 48 hours later, Uefa’s 55 member associations insisted they would not participate in any Fifa tournament until the plan was withdrawn.In a statement released on Friday morning, Fifa said: “We have heard the feedback provided by the respective confederations in relation to the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and would like to address the issues that have surfaced since the initial media reporting on Tuesday.“We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation.⁠”Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”Harry Latham-Coyle31 July 2026 06:45Inside Uefa’s extraordinary World Cup boycott plans – and what Fifa might do nextAt the start of the emergency meeting that saw Uefa drop “a nuclear bomb” on Gianni Infantino’s plans to privatise the World Cup, federation president Aleksander Ceferin uttered a phrase that would be echoed a few times over the next two hours.“Enough is enough.”Miguel Delaney31 July 2026 06:30‘Football is not for sale’: Uefa confirms boycott of World Cup and Fifa competitions Last night, Uefa confirmed that it was threatening to boycott the World Cup and all Fifa competitions over a plan to sell off stakes in the tournament. Jamie Braidwood has the full story.Harry Latham-Coyle31 July 2026 06:00Gianni Infantino defends controversial World Cup sell-off plan in bizarre videoFifa president Gianni Infantino has described the controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup as a “proposal” and “not an obligation” in a bizarre video released on Wednesday night.Harry Latham-Coyle31 July 2026 04:00What would a World Cup look like without European teams?Would Fifa press on with a 48-team World Cup without European teams? Let’s not forget that Infantino suggested that Fifa would look at expanding the World Cup to 64 teams in 2030. We also don’t know yet whether Uefa’s boycott would be replicated by other federations, such as Asia and North America.But a 48-team World Cup, ridiculously staged in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Morocco, and comprised by removing European teams from this summer’s tournament and replacing them directing with the next-best teams from the Fifa rankings, could look something like this...Harry Latham-Coyle31 July 2026 03:00Infantino wants to sell the World Cup. Can anyone stop him?Fifa members who vote through Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell the World Cup to investors will get $40m. Vote it down, and it’s just $10m. Here, chief sports writer Lawrence Ostlere dissects the pitch football can’t refuse – and how Uefa are pushing back – in this week's Inside Football newsletter:Infantino wants to sell the World Cup. Can anyone stop him?Fifa members who vote through Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell the World Cup to investors will get $40m. Vote it down, and it’s just $10m. Here, chief sports writer Lawrence Ostlere dissects the pitch football can’t refuse – and how Uefa are pushing back – in this week's Inside Football newsletterHarry Latham-Coyle31 July 2026 02:00