Čeferin mobilises ECA to threaten boycott of 2029 Club World Cup and pile pressure on Infantino

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin is preparing a high-stakes confrontation with FIFA leadership as talks intensify ahead of the UEFA Super Cup final on 12 August 2026, sources inside European football say. Čeferin plans to press the European Club Association (ECA) — led by Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi — to consider a boycott of the proposed 2029 Club World Cup unless major issues are resolved with FIFA.

Pressure over unpaid fees and an undefined 2029 plan

The row is driven by multiple practical and financial concerns. The inaugural edition of the Club World Cup in its new format was won by Chelsea last summer, but organisers have left crucial elements for 2029 unsettled: there is still no confirmed host, no agreed financing model, no finalized format and no set of committed sponsors. Clubs are also still chasing unpaid solidarity payments from the 2025 edition.

Those unpaid solidarity fees from 2025 have left many clubs demanding clarity and payments from FIFA. Because the 2029 tournament currently lacks an agreement between FIFA and the ECA and fails to guarantee basics such as location and revenue distribution, the ECA would be unlikely to back it without significant changes. Any coordinated boycott would require consent from the ECA’s membership, which totals more than 850 clubs.

Inside UEFA, Čeferin is reportedly pushing for a public declaration from the ECA that it will suspend cooperation with FIFA on the competition as long as Gianni Infantino remains in charge at FIFA. UEFA has also begun mobilising diplomatic pressure to force Infantino to step down, including an initiative by Čeferin to secure mass withdrawals of letters of support for the FIFA president.

Čeferin has not indicated he would run for FIFA president himself, but is said to be willing to back Nasser Al-Khelaifi as a candidate. The two men are scheduled to meet around the Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa on 12 August 2026. Several UEFA members are prepared to support the Qatari executive in a direct challenge to Infantino, although a spokesman for Al-Khelaifi insists he has no such ambitions.

Within UEFA there is a growing view that endorsing a candidate from outside the European confederation could attract broader international support and improve the chances of unseating the current FIFA leadership.

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