European football's governing body UEFA declared on Saturday, August 1st, 2026, that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had lost their confidence following his controversial proposal to spin off the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions into a semi-private company.

Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company involving private investors to manage World Cup profits. The plan, announced on Tuesday, faced immediate and growing opposition from UEFA’s 55-member nations, as well as football bodies in Asia and North America. This opposition culminated in a boycott agreement of the World Cup and all FIFA competitions by UEFA members.

The backlash intensified when Infantino's senior adviser, who was part of a White House panel, resigned. Under mounting pressure, Infantino dropped the plan early Saturday.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who has been leading the opposition against Infantino, stated, “No option should be off the table.” UEFA criticized the secretive and rushed nature of the plan, calling for accountability: “We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.”

Norwegian football official Klaveness added that the entire framework of international football cooperation was jeopardized by the pursuit of individual interests over the game's best interests. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, emphasized that the future of global football must be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue, and respect for established governance structures.

The events mark a critical turning point, with UEFA’s no-confidence declaration signaling a potential end to Infantino’s decade-long presidency.

Sources