England will be one of the nations to sit out the 2030 FIFA World Cup if Gianni Infantino proceeds with his plans to sell a minority stake in the international tournament.

Infantino’s hugely controversial proposal is part of a new commercial entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and seeks to grant FIFA’s 211 national member associations tradable equity stakes. Working with American banking institution JPMorgan, they’d look to raise $4.2 billion from private investors.

UEFA responded to the idea by condemning Infantino’s approach and held an emergency meeting with its 55 member associations. They have rejected FIFA’s proposal and threatened to boycott all competitions held by the sporting body.

England to Boycott World Cup Again in 2030

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Should Infantino proceed with his plans, it could mean no UEFA team competes at the World Cup in four years’ time. Spain and Portugal are two of the three main co-hosts but they could boycott the tournament.

As could England, who have publicly backed UEFA with a statement which reads: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view. We oppose FIFA’s plans. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football and always will.”

Infantino set all 211 nations a deadline of September 19th to respond to the proposal and UEFA took a day to not only refuse it but take significant action. Their national associations “will not participate in FIFA competitions” as the World Cup “cannot be treated as an investment product.”

The Telegraph delved into the meeting held by UEFA and revealed FA chairwoman Debbie Hewitt and chief executive Mark Bullingham were present. Both are said to have spoken out and Hewitt insisted she didn’t know anything of the FIFA leader’s plans before Tuesday despite being one of his vice-presidents.

Should England indeed boycott the 2030 World Cup it won’t be the first time they have snubbed participation. They opted against playing in the first three tournaments in 1930, 1934 and 1938, preferring to contest the Home Nations with Scotland, Wales and Ireland instead.

As for the last time the Three Lions were absent from a World Cup, that came in 1994 when they failed to qualify. As it stands, not only are Thomas Tuchel’s men not competing in the tournament, but won’t be attempting to qualify.

Four Other Countries Could Boycott World Cup Again

US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino via REUTERS/Lee Smith

England aren’t the only major international team to have boycotted a World Cup in the past. Aside from the other three home nations who all chose to stay home and face one another, five countries refused for different reasons.

Turkey would also be skipping the tournament again if Infantino doesn’t reconsider his proposal. They missed the 1950 World Cup due to finances after deciding it was too expensive to send ther team to South America.

CONMEBOL have yet to respond to the plans but two of their countries have declined entry in the past. Uruguay didn’t defend their crown as inaugural world champions in 1934 in protest after several European nations refused to travel for the event in 1930.

This year’s runners-up, Argentina, joined the Uruguayans in refusing to play at the 1938 World Cup when it was hosted in Europe rather than South America. And in 1950, India’s lack of participation caused debate as they claimed they didn’t believe the tournament was overly important, while reports claim that they were refused because their players played barefoot.

The USSR were disqualified from playing the second leg of their World Cup qualifier against Chile in November 1973. This was because the game was to be played at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile, after the CIA-backed military coup had overthrown socialist government of Salvador Allende.

Tottenham are not done in the summer transfer window, and they could yet go after a Premier League attacker not named Savinho. Spurs have already spent more than £235million on new recruits so far, spending big on the likes of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, while there have also been some smart deals, like the free signings of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson.

But there is more big spending to come, even with this window already being a record-breaking window for Tottenham, with Roberto De Zerbi hoping to sign an attacker. Manchester City star Savinho has been heavily linked, but it could be one of the Brazilian’s teammates that Spurs end up pursuing.

Tottenham now considering Omar Marmoush deal

Tottenham’s attacker search could take them to City star Omar Marmoush, who could serve as an alternative to Savinho, who Spurs have eyed for much of the summer. De Zerbi spoke to Football.London this week and said: “The transfer market, it’s not finished for sure, but we completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba!” That next signing doesn’t appear to be Marmoush, but a player does seem to be incoming.

Meanwhile, asked about the potential of signing an attacker, De Zerbi added: “I hope, but it’s not finished for sure.”

The same story adds that De Zerbi is a ‘big admirer’ of Marmoush, who is a potential target, along with Savinho. Although it will almost certainly be one or the other, given Tottenham’s big spending and the fact City are not going to sell both attackers, especially not to the same team.

Marmoush joined City in 2025 from Eintracht Frankfurt on a £59million deal, and he has since scored 10 times in 37 league appearances. Marmoush is more of a central striker than Savinho, but he can also operate comfortably out wide, and that versatility is something Spurs will like, given they could do with an attacker who can cover both the wide and central positions.

City would likely ask for big money to sell Marmoush, likely to want a profit on their investment in the 27-year-old. There is also the large matter of Marmoush’s wage, which is reported to be £250,000-per-week as things stand, and that will have to be matched, or perhaps even increased.

Marmoush has ‘something special’

Marmoush had a particularly big impact early on in his time at City, after arriving in the January window of 2025, and Erling Haaland said of the forward last year: “He has something special. He’s going to be a fantastic player for us. It’s about getting to know him as soon as possible, because there are so many important games coming.”

Meanwhile, Guardiola added: “The numbers are really, really, really good. When a player arrives mid-season and everything is fine, it’s easy, but what Omar has done is exceptional.”

Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz looks set to be on the move once again this summer after two separate loan deals during the 2025/26 campaign, with a move to join Manchester United on his agenda.

After a disappointing first season at Juventus following his move from Aston Villa in the summer of 2024, the Brazilian was given the green light to depart the Bianconeri on loan and initially headed to Nottingham Forest.

Amid his struggles at the City Ground with a thigh problem restricting his game time, the 28-year-old returned to former club Villa on loan until the end of the campaign.

Luiz featured more regularly under Unai Emery and finished his season by playing his part in the Villans’ Europa League triumph against SC Freiburg.

Now back at Juventus, what comes next for the midfielder will become clear in the weeks ahead.

Luiz’s dream move

Luiz’s dream is to secure a move to Manchester United this summer, according to Italian publication TuttoSport.

The player, described as being ‘world-class’ by former Villa teammate John McGinn, has interest from clubs in Brazil but a return to his homeland is seen as a last resort as he wants to play in England again.

Manchester United’s good relationship with Juventus is also mentioned, which in turn could help pave the way for Luiz’s dream move if the Red Devils want to lure him to Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick’s side have been busy in the summer transfer window already and they are expected to make further moves to bolster their squad, with Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba another who would ‘love’ to join the club.

The addition of another midfielder, on top of the signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, is viewed as a priority.

United want to bring in an experienced player capable of playing in a deeper role who can make an impact in the Champions League.

Luiz, who has made six appearances in Europe’s premier competition and a further 24 across the Europa League and Conference League, ticks all the boxes for Carrick’s side when it comes to their requirements for a new midfielder.

Potential swap deal

TuttoSport mention in their report that the good relationship between both clubs could open the door to a potential swap deal.

This would involve Luiz heading to Manchester United and Joshua Zirkzee moving in the opposite direction.

The Dutchman has been offered to the Italian side already and the players both share Kia Joorabchian as an agent.

Zirkzee is expected to depart Old Trafford before the summer deadline after two difficult seasons with the club.

The 25-year-old’s game time was restricted last term as he managed 26 appearances in all competitions, with just five Premier League starts to his name.

Juventus, Roma and Coma are all said to be interested in luring him back to Italy after a successful time with Bologna prior to his Manchester United transfer.