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Infantino scraps World Cup rights deal amid UEFA boycott

8/4/2026

27 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the 20 % World Cup commercial rights sale will not proceed.
UEFA’s 55 members voted to boycott FIFA competitions.
The Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF publicly opposed the scheme.
Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned after COO Kevin Lamour said staff were deceived.
Infantino now needs 106 votes in the March 18 election in Morocco, with entries due Nov. 18.

History

Historical Context

After the U.S. Department of Justice launched a $2 billion corruption probe in 2015 that forced FIFA president Sepp Blatter to resign, the fallout traced back to the 350-page Garcia report delivered in September 2014 and its 42-page summary released in November 2014. Infantino’s aborted 20 percent World Cup rights sale and UEFA’s 55-member boycott now reflect the same governance clash.

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Story summary

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the 20 % World Cup commercial rights sale will not proceed.
UEFA’s 55 members voted to boycott FIFA competitions.
The Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF publicly opposed the scheme.
Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned after COO Kevin Lamour said staff were deceived.
Infantino now needs 106 votes in the March 18 election in Morocco, with entries due Nov. 18.

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