UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF Criticize FIFA President Infantino Over World Cup Rights Plan

Three of football's most powerful continental governing bodies issued a joint statement on Monday, August 10, 2026, sharply criticizing FIFA President Gianni Infantino and accusing him of a "fundamental breach of trust" following his abandoned proposal to sell commercial rights to the World Cup. The open letter from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF, which together represent 143 of FIFA's 211 member associations, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing crisis at the top of the global sport.

The letter, addressed to the "Football Family," directly targets Infantino's conduct, stating that trust had been "broken through deception" and that he had "placed himself above the collective." The confederations condemned the now-shelved plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup and Club World Cup to private equity, calling it a "profound failure of judgment" rather than a mere procedural misstep. They argued the proposal was deliberately advanced on a "compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation" in a design "intended to limit scrutiny."

The public denunciation follows a period of intense turmoil since Infantino proposed and...