The UEFA president plans a meeting with Al-Khelaifi at the Super Cup final between PSG and Aston Villa to get European clubs to refuse to play in the 2029 tournament, while vice-president McAllister calls for unity against the FIFA chief.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has launched an initiative for European clubs to boycott the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, part of a broader strategy aimed at ousting Gianni Infantino from the helm of FIFA. According to talkSPORT, Ceferin will meet with Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of PSG and the European Club Association (ECA), one of his key allies, on August 12, 2026. The meeting will take place during the European Super Cup final between PSG and Aston Villa, with the main topic being a joint refusal to participate in the Club World Cup.
The project for the new edition of the tournament still lacks key elements, including the host, funding model, and final format. Additional discontent among clubs stems from unpaid solidarity payments from the 2025 edition, with many still owed money by FIFA. Chelsea won the first edition of the tournament in its new format last summer, but plans for 2029 remain completely undefined.
Ceferin wants the European Club Association (ECA), which boasts over 850 members, to publicly announce that it will no longer cooperate with FIFA on the Club World Cup as long as Gianni Infantino remains at the helm. Although he does not plan to run for FIFA president himself, he has initiated a campaign to mass-withdraw letters of support for the current head of world football's governing body. Sources use different names for the same association chaired by Al-Khelaifi, ECA and EFC.
UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister told talkSPORT that a strong counter-candidate is needed to unite opposition worldwide. "I think a candidate must now emerge to challenge Infantino, and it's important that this candidate can unite opposition across the globe. We have clearly stated our position, as have the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, but we need a candidate who can truly unite the world to ensure that he or she can defeat Infantino," McAllister said.
One of the names mentioned as a potential counter-candidate is CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, who is seriously considering a bid. His confederation brings 35 votes, and a UEFA-CONCACAF alliance could secure up to 90 votes for a candidate. To win the election, 106 votes are needed among FIFA's 211 member associations, meaning such a coalition would still need just 16 more votes.
Within UEFA circles, there is a growing belief that backing a candidate from outside the European confederation could yield more votes. Although there is speculation about his candidacy, Al-Khelaifi is not currently considered a potential candidate, and a PSG spokesperson emphasizes that he has no such intentions.
Infantino faces serious political pressure ahead of his bid for a fourth term. The English Football Association is preparing to send a letter withdrawing its support, while Wales has already done so publicly. According to BBC Sport, the Scottish Football Association's stance is also aligned with the no-confidence expressed by UEFA.
In contrast, Infantino is already in an unofficial campaign and has personally contacted several associations. Saudi Arabia and Qatar were among the first to offer their support, later joined by Bangladesh, Morocco, Kuwait, the UAE, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. People close to Infantino believe that the support of member associations will keep him in office, especially given the successful organization of the 2026 World Cup.
Tensions between UEFA and FIFA have further escalated after FIFA presented a plan to establish a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would manage major events, including World Cups. External investors could buy minority stakes without management control, a move UEFA has publicly opposed with the message that "the World Cup is not for sale."
In a letter to the FIFA president, UEFA stated that it is considering legal action, arbitration, and regulatory filings related to the proposed project, and has requested the urgent preservation of all documents and electronic data. Ceferin hopes that Infantino will accept the need to step down by the start of the Super Cup, but close associates of the FIFA president claim he is not inclined to give up.
