UEFA pursuing legal action against FIFA, president Gianni Infantino, withdraws World Cup boycott threat

UEFA is taking legal action in New York against FIFA, Gianni Infantino and Thrive Capital, the lead investor in the failed $20 billion World Cup investment plan, according to The Times and Front Office Sports .

This is not a lawsuit. UEFA, instead, is wanting to go through the discovery process to get information from the three parties in order to take that to Swiss authorities — FIFA's headquarters are in Switzerland — as part of a criminal complaint. The end goal is to have charges brought against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials.

Infantino is accused of "fraudulently" offering a stake in the FIFA Forward Enterprise without going through the proper FIFA channels.

Thrive and founder Joshua Kushner were set to pay FIFA $4.2 billion for a 20% stake in a new company that would run the organization's commercial events, which includes the men's and women's World Cup.

"Under the terms Infantino announced, those investors stood to acquire a permanent financial interest in FIFA's commercial arm for $4.2bn, implying an absurdly low enterprise value of only approximately $20bn, a figure that was neither the product of an open, competitive auction, nor tested by any independent valuer," UEFA's complaint reads.

That $4.2 billion figure could be a "fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit," it adds.

"In truth, it was a vehicle for Infantino and that small circle to acquire a permanent stake in and otherwise profit from FIFA's most valuable assets to the detriment of FIFA, its members, and other parties within the football family," the complaint continued. "Infantino pushed the plan through internal FIFA approval only days earlier at a hastily convened meeting where a limited number of FIFA's management officials and employees — some of whom had never heard of the plan — were given mere hours to sign off on an unprecedented multi-billion dollar scheme."

"In truth, it was a vehicle for Infantino and that small circle to acquire a permanent stake in and otherwise profit from FIFA's most valuable assets to the detriment of FIFA, its members, and other parties within the football family," the complaint continued.

"Infantino pushed the plan through internal FIFA approval only days earlier at a hastily convened meeting where a limited number of FIFA's management officials and employees — some of whom had never heard of the plan — were given mere hours to sign off on an unprecedented multi-billion dollar scheme."

Infantino's received criticism from all corners of the soccer world after The Times reported the details of the plan. Various confederations, including UEFA and Concacaf, issued scathing statements against the FIFA president with a number calling for " meaningful change " atop the governing body's hierarchy.

UEFA, which released a statement saying it had lost confidence in Infantino's ability to lead, threatened to boycott all FIFA-run competitions unless FIFA issued assurances that the sell off plan would not be revisited.

UEFA has withdrawn its plans to boycott FIFA-run competitions after the European soccer governing body was told Infantino's plan will not be revived.

"The delegates were also informed that FIFA has now confirmed in writing to UEFA that the FIFA Forward Enterprise project has been 'irrevocably and permanently withdrawn' and that it 'will not re-appear in any other shape, construction, name or form,'" read a statement from UEFA on Thursday . "Having now secured the two assurances it required from FIFA on 30 July, and following consultation with its National Associations, UEFA has therefore agreed to suspend, on a provisional basis, the withdrawal by European teams from FIFA competitions in the coming season, including the Women's U20 World Cup, U17 World Cup and the Women's U17 World Cup. This position will remain under constant review and may be reconsidered immediately if circumstances so require. "While the immediate question of participation has now been resolved, the underlying crisis has not. "The abandonment of FFE does not erase the deception, intimidation and abuse of power that made it possible. Nor does it restore the confidence that has been lost. "This is not a choice between good governance and football development. Nor is this about Europe seeking greater power within FIFA. It is simply about ensuring that no part of world football – large or small, those with more and those with less – is dependent on the power of one individual."

"The delegates were also informed that FIFA has now confirmed in writing to UEFA that the FIFA Forward Enterprise project has been 'irrevocably and permanently withdrawn' and that it 'will not re-appear in any other shape, construction, name or form,'" read a statement from UEFA on Thursday .

"Having now secured the two assurances it required from FIFA on 30 July, and following consultation with its National Associations, UEFA has therefore agreed to suspend, on a provisional basis, the withdrawal by European teams from FIFA competitions in the coming season, including the Women's U20 World Cup, U17 World Cup and the Women's U17 World Cup. This position will remain under constant review and may be reconsidered immediately if circumstances so require.

"While the immediate question of participation has now been resolved, the underlying crisis has not.

"The abandonment of FFE does not erase the deception, intimidation and abuse of power that made it possible. Nor does it restore the confidence that has been lost.

"This is not a choice between good governance and football development. Nor is this about Europe seeking greater power within FIFA. It is simply about ensuring that no part of world football – large or small, those with more and those with less – is dependent on the power of one individual."

The 55 member nations of UEFA met in Monaco on Thursday ahead of the 2026-27 Champions League draw . Calling off the planned boycott ensures no issues for the upcoming FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup, which will begin Sept. 5 in Poland.

FIFA released a statement saying it "strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances, and looks forward to welcoming all teams and players to Poland."

As UEFA calls off its boycott, the Italian and Romanian football federations joined the growing list of countries to withdraw support of Infantino.

The FIGC's statement on Wednesday said that it would no longer support Infantino's reelection in March due to "the recent initiatives promoted by the FIFA president concerning governance and the development of international competitions."

"FIFA needs today a new leader who can produce consensus and unity, inspire trust and who has the ability to bring us all together," President Răzvan Burleanu of Romania's FRF said.