UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions • Hacker News Board

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#401

Post by CM30 » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:40 PM UTC

So, how many countries will be left to participate in these competitions if FIFA doesn't change course? What about if even more national associations from non-European countries get involved?

Because in the 2026 world cup, every single team except Argentina in the quarter-finals onwards was a member of UEFA. And even in the earlier rounds, it was probably like 50 or so percent of them...

If neither side backs down before 2030, you may as well just call off the next World Cup. Especially given that two out of three hosts would also not be participating...

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#402

Post by faramarz » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:43 PM UTC

jotajota24 wrote: post #157

tedggh wrote: post #142

Why is this out of the gate bad? Note that this is not taking FIFA to private equity, but creating an investors owned subsidiary to run events and commercial operations where the non profit arm will still own 80% of it. With the right protections it could help FIFA make more money and reinvest in the sport, particularly women’s football. FIFA currently makes 40% of what the NHL makes, not the NFL, not NBA. Soccer is…

Why is it bad to sell 20% of the biggest tournament in the world to a private company lead by people involved with the most corrupt administration in the history of the US? The model has been working fine for decades, why does it matter that it makes less than american sports?

Ha! Model has been working for American s.. more and more we are seeing signs of a falling empire. Not reading the room - I mean global - temperature is nothing new to the US foreign policy office. They’ve done it for decades, but these days the confidence in leadership has fully eroded trust. Before there may have been closed door jokes made US leaderships expense, now it’s out and in public.

Market Strategists are going to study this one. It’s a potential inflection point. Cant think of any other event or entity as globally galvanizing that football.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#403

Post by nephihaha » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:44 PM UTC

CodingJeebus wrote: post #75

jmathai wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The experience interacting with FIFA is so terrible already. I can only imagine how much worse it would be if it turned into a profit machine.

Agreed, the tickets to the tournament this year were just outrageously priced. Football is historically a working class sport, but $1,000 to watch a team like DR Congo in the group stage is next level criminality. And it's only going to get worse from here.

"Football is historically a working class sport"

Not as much as the popular culture makes out. Association football (as opposed to folk football) was codified in English private schools such as Uppingham, and at Cambridge University. Working class people played very different forms of football at the time, including carrying the ball etc. Association football was the more genteel form of the game. It used to be the main sport at Eton College, not rugby.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#404

Post by amelius » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:44 PM UTC

sizzzzlerz wrote: post #364

DeRock wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is nothing this family does not see as an opportunity for corruption. Comically evil.

And it is so blatant to everyone except the republicans.

Republicans should be called the anti-Democrats at this point.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#405

Post by Quarrelsome » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:45 PM UTC

CM30 wrote: post #401

So, how many countries will be left to participate in these competitions if FIFA doesn't change course? What about if even more national associations from non-European countries get involved? Because in the 2026 world cup, every single team except Argentina in the quarter-finals onwards was a member of UEFA. And even in the earlier rounds, it was probably like 50 or so percent of them... If neither side backs down be…

Africa, South America and Middle East football and maybe Oceania federations support it. North and Central American, Asian and Europe do not.

That's broad strokes as each member has an individual vote.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#406

Post by faramarz » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:45 PM UTC

hn_submit wrote: post #132

I find the UEFA standpoint a little disingenuous since commercial interests have been a top priority in football (soccer) for decades. Claiming that allowing investors to participate will hurt the sport are at the very least a misrepresentation of the current situation. Although I disagree with his methods and goals I enjoy watching the way Infantino uses power play to stack the cards in his favor. The only way for t…

They’re not against the economics of it. It’s carefully worded against private governance.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#407

Post by throw-the-towel » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:47 PM UTC

triceratops wrote: post #8

This is so highly unusual even sports-allergic HN wants to discuss it. It's like a religious schism in some sense.

It's just yet another Donald Trump story, which are legion around here these days. The World Cup itself is also a hot topic right now, with Euros and Muricans trying to rage bait each other.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#408

Post by nephihaha » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:48 PM UTC

rassimmoc wrote: post #185

tedggh wrote: post #142

Why is this out of the gate bad? Note that this is not taking FIFA to private equity, but creating an investors owned subsidiary to run events and commercial operations where the non profit arm will still own 80% of it. With the right protections it could help FIFA make more money and reinvest in the sport, particularly women’s football. FIFA currently makes 40% of what the NHL makes, not the NFL, not NBA. Soccer is…

don't be naive. Never in the history of humanity did corrupt billionaire pedophiles do anything help the sport/fans/women/..... They want a piece to get the foot in the door. 10 years from now, we wont even recognise football anymore. I don't care what american billionaires make with nhl/nfl/..., hands fucking off of football.

Association football is more marketable than certain North American sports. For a start, the jerseys are covered in sponsors, even the shorts, socks and shoes. American football and basketball, for whatever reason, haven't done that yet.

It looks like this world cup may have introduced shirt sponsorship to US and Canadian sports. Soon their shirts will resemble Formula One drivers'. In return, association football will keep hydration breaks etc.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#409

Post by billforsternz » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:48 PM UTC

drcongo wrote: post #225

dmarcos wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hydration breaks a tad weird. Half time shows were pretty subtle, didn’t change the length of the break except for the final. There’s no soccer competition without someone complaining about refereeing. Def always things to improve but I had fun, all people around me seemed to have fun. I flew in an out and always was either public transportation or uefa provided shuttles… It was really well run. Not something you can…

> There’s no soccer competition Ahhhh, you're American!

Soccer is a legitimate name for the sport. Football is properly the name of a whole group of sports OR in a local context the locally most popular type of football.

It's very weird for one type of football to try to claim the name all for itself globally.

BTW I am not American.

Re: UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions

#410

Post by nephihaha » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 11:53 PM UTC

bl0b wrote: post #236

tedggh wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s part of their poor commercial vision. Even the World Cup brings less revenue than one season of the NBA. Doesn’t even make sense to compare it with the NFL.

So what. The point of the World Cup is a worldwide celebration of soccer, interchange of culture. It belongs to the people. It's one of the only things left whose purpose is not just to make as much money as possible.

The Qatar World Cup tournament was obviously such a thing. The place had the money to build all the stadiums, but has never qualified legitimately and is a tiny country. Thousands of people died building those stadiums in Qatar.

Plus there is advertising all over the players' clothing, the pitch, the pitchside hoardings etc. There is high rent advertising in every break. Even more so since theze silly hydration breaks.