UEFA could drop its threat to boycott FIFA competitions on Thursday while maintaining pressure on Gianni Infantino, the head of world football.
The European governing body is expected to discuss the issue with representatives of its 55 member associations in Monaco, where they will attend the Champions League draw, a source familiar with the matter told AFP.
UEFA and its member associations “unanimously” threatened on July 30 to boycott all FIFA competitions after Infantino’s plan to place World Cup revenues in a commercial company open to private investors was revealed.
The threat remained in place even after the Italian-Swiss football chief abandoned the proposal, with European officials demanding guarantees that “similar attempts would not be made again.”
According to another source familiar with football governing bodies, the expected easing of UEFA’s position is mainly linked to the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which Poland will host from September 5 to 27.
Poland, which continued preparing to host the tournament despite the dispute, would face a difficult situation if a boycott went ahead. Several major European nations are also preparing to take part.
France’s U-20 women’s team began a training camp at Clairefontaine, near Paris, on Tuesday and will travel to Poland on Monday, according to the French Football Federation (FFF).
A source within the FFF said France’s position had always been to end the boycott threat once Infantino withdrew his proposal, without seeking additional guarantees for the future.
UEFA, along with Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), is still seeking Infantino’s departure. He is currently the only declared candidate for the FIFA presidency ahead of the March 18, 2027 election.
The confederations have no direct influence over the vote, as FIFA’s 211 member associations follow a “one country, one vote” system. They must therefore try to persuade national federations to turn against the current FIFA president.
They must also find one or more alternative candidates, after UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin reiterated on Monday that he would not run for the FIFA presidency.
