UEFA-Governed Rival Tournaments Emerge to Challenge FIFA World Cup

Football governing bodies led by UEFA are discussing rival international tournaments to FIFA's World Cup, according to people familiar with the matter. These conversations are preliminary and involve UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC.

The proposed rival tournaments threaten FIFA's lucrative tournament circuit, which includes the World Cup that brought in over $9 billion during the 2026 edition, a record. This move is seen as a challenge to FIFA president Gianni Infantino after his failed plan to spin off FIFA's commercial operations in a deal involving JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The European body, UEFA, has led the push to oust Infantino. Even after he shelved the plan, UEFA is still considering a boycott of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments if he remains president. This could impact the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, which would be the first major tournament affected.