Uefa has called an emergency meeting of its 55 member associations for Thursday to coordinate a response to Fifa president Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, with a possible boycott of Fifa tournaments, including next year's Women's World Cup, under discussion. The row centres on a proposed new commercial entity, Fifa Forward Enterprise, which would sell a 20% stake to outside investors, and Uefa has accused Fifa of trying to "sell the soul" of football and of using the sport "to enrich themselves and their friends".

Uefa's opposition has been backed by Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, meaning the three confederations together hold 143 of Fifa's 211 votes, enough in principle to block the plan, though Czechia has already broken European ranks to support it. Infantino says he has secured more than 200 letters of endorsement ahead of his re-election next year and is confident of sufficient backing, but changing Fifa's statutes to allow the sale would require a 75% majority, a much higher bar. Tensions have deepened after it emerged Fifa set a 19 September deadline for associations to back the proposal or lose access to an initial $20m (£15m) payout, with a further $20m per association promised later.