European football’s governing body UEFA announced on Saturday, August 2nd, 2026, that it has lost confidence in FIFA chief Gianni Infantino and the current FIFA leadership. This declaration came after Infantino reversed a contentious plan to sell World Cup profits to private investors.

The plan was scrapped early Saturday following opposition from multiple quarters, including Infantino’s senior adviser who resigned from a White House panel, and the Asian soccer confederation joining Europe and North America in opposing the proposal. UEFA’s 55-member nations had earlier agreed to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions in protest.

Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA president, who has been at the forefront of the opposition against Infantino, stated, "No option should be off the table," signaling a readiness to consider all measures in response to the crisis. He added that FIFA's leadership has lost the confidence not only of UEFA but also many other members of the football community.

Later on Saturday, the governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) called for accountability, emphasizing that "A (World Cup) proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident."

Norwegian soccer federation president Lise Klaveness, a UEFA executive committee member, stressed the need for measures to protect the sport's integrity. Meanwhile, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian soccer confederation, underscored that "the future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game."

Infantino's bid to alter the financial structure of the World Cup has thus collapsed amid widespread dissent, marking a significant turning point in his decade-long presidency.

Sources