World football’s governing body FIFA vowed on Friday (July 31, 2026) to press ahead with an “open and democratic” consultation on a proposed private investment plan despite widespread opposition to the proposal.

That opposition included a pledge by Europe’s governing body UEFA to boycott the World Cup if FIFA went ahead with its private investor plan. FIFA said in a statement all of its member associations should have a chance to consider the plan. “Nobody is selling football,” it said. “This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.”

It also said it had heard feedback from UEFA and CONCACAF, the governing body for football in North and Central America, which said all 41 of its member associations had rejected FIFA’s proposal to sell a stake in the business operations of the World Cup.

The world body also said its planned consultation process had been “disrupted by incorrect media reports”.

“We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation,” FIFA’s statement said. “We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each (member association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts,” it said.

FIFA has said the plan it announced on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the commercial subsidiary it proposed to run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

If approved, the project could provide each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027 and increase their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8.0 million to $20 million. Private investors would be allowed under the proposal to acquire stakes in the company but would remain minority shareholders.

Never again

UEFA said in an earlier statement none of its national teams would participate in any FIFA competition “for so long as these proposals remain alive”. “The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale,” it said.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino described the initiative on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) as a “golden opportunity to turbocharge the development of the game globally”. However, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, who boycotted the World Cup final to show unhappiness with FIFA, said there was no place in world football for such a model.

“Football’s future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return,” he said. “Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain.”

Several leading European federations and European Union officials also criticised the proposal as another step in the commercialisation of sport, while also raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest. The EU praised UEFA on Thursday (July 30, 2026) for “defending the integrity of the game”. “Proud to see Europe’s football associations leading on governance, standing firm on their principles,” European commissioner for sports Glenn Micallef said in a social media post.

CONCACAF members, including the three co-hosts of the recent World Cup, unanimously rejected the proposal on Thursday (July 30, 2026). It said “the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies”.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has also expressed concern that the FIFA proposal was made public before all 211 member associations were fully consulted. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has also urged its members to review FIFA’s divisive plan.

‘Never for sale’

UEFA said in its statement on Thursday (July 30, 2026) that the World Cup was “one of football’s greatest sporting legacies” and described the proposal as “a failure of leadership” and “governance by intimidation”.

“It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game,” UEFA said. “National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum — accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences.

“Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”

More ‌than 100,000 fans flooded the streets of the Norwegian capital Oslo on ​Monday (July 13, 2026) to give their football team a heroes’ welcome, turning the ⁠heartbreak of their FIFA World Cup 2026 exit into a massive national celebration.

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A 2-1 extra-time defeat by England on Saturday (July 11, 2026) brought Norway’s historic run to an end in the quarter-finals, shattering the Nordics’ dreams ‌of a place in the last four. However, it did not stop the country celebrating their heroes.

Massive crowds under the Norwegian summer sun filled ‌the grounds of the Royal Palace early on Monday (July 13, 2026) afternoon, with an unofficial ‌turnout ⁠estimated at more than 100,000 people.

The Norway squad touched down to ⁠a traditional water cannon salute before commencing their homecoming parade in the capital.

The line of supporters quickly packed the palace square before stretching far down the main street, Karl Johans gate, as the squad first ​attended an audience with King Harald.

The ‌team then stepped out to greet the fans with the Royal Guard standing to attention behind them.

Striker Erling Haaland was noticeably absent from the final stage of the celebrations, having left early.

His departure meant he missed joining his teammates on ‌the palace steps for one last “Viking row”, with tens of thousands of ​fans gathered below, which was led by Crown Prince Haakon on the drums.

“Erling and Sander [Berge] had to catch their plane as our trip ⁠from the U.S. was delayed four hours,” coach Stale Solbakken said, as the squad prepared to continue the celebrations in an open-top bus parade around Oslo.

Crowds slowed the bus ‌to a halt through central Oslo, forcing it to reverse at one point as police escorts struggled to carve out a path. Undeterred, Norway’s players celebrated with beer and waved as the party continued long after dark.

CABLES PAUSE NORWEGIAN CELEBRATIONS

There was a moment of irony when the parade was halted by low-hanging overhead cables. The players, who had been standing and waving flags on the top deck, were forced to sit ‌down to clear the obstruction before the double-decker could proceed.

Solbakken said earlier he was convinced the ​ball hit a camera cable above the pitch just before Jude Bellingham scored England’s equaliser in the first half of the quarter-final.

World football’s governing ⁠body FIFA has repeatedly denied that the ball touched any wire before the goal.

Hours after ⁠the parade began, it completed the 1.3-km route at City Hall Square, where tens of thousands of patient supporters were still waiting to welcome the ‌team.

“I don’t think anyone had imagined this,” captain Martin Odegaard told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “The support we have received in the U.S.A. and here at home in ​Norway has been beyond all expectations. It has been absolutely incredible to see.”