Women’s football continues to be used as a pawn in Gianni Infantino’s Fifa tenure | Suzanne Wrack
Suzanne Wrack argues that Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to sell stakes in Fifa’s major tournaments exposed how women’s football can be treated as leverage in wider power struggles. Uefa’s threatened boycott was presented as necessary to resist private ownership, but women’s and youth competitions faced the most immediate disruption because key qualifiers and World Cups are imminent. The episode matters because the women’s game depends heavily on international tournaments to sustain investment, visibility and growth.
A boycott could have affected England’s Women’s World Cup play-off against Greece, youth World Cups later in 2026 and the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The 2023 Women’s World Cup generated more than $570m (£424m) and was the first to break even, while Fifa has targeted $1bn in revenue for 2027. Although Infantino has increased Fifa’s investment in women’s football compared with previous leadership, Wrack contends that his actions nevertheless put its progress at unnecessary risk.
- Infantino’s proposal risked making women’s football collateral in a governance dispute.
- A boycott could have disrupted imminent women’s qualifiers and World Cups.
- Women’s football relies heavily on international competitions for growth.
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Fifa governs international football and organises major competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. Its president, Gianni Infantino, leads the organisation, while Uefa represents European football associations, including England’s.
Women’s football has grown in profile and commercial value, but its continued development relies in part on tournament income and visibility. The 2023 Women’s World Cup generated more than $570m and was the first edition to break even; Fifa has set a $1bn revenue target for the 2027 tournament in Brazil.
Disputes over who controls football competitions can therefore affect more than the organisations involved. Qualifiers and youth tournaments offer players international experience and help sustain interest and investment in the women’s game.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Women's football, which depends critically on international tournaments for investment and visibility, was put at unnecessary risk by a plan that affected imminent qualifiers and World Cups. Even though the plan was ultimately abandoned, the episode reveals that women's competitions are treated as expendable leverage in broader power struggles within Fifa. This pattern matters because it suggests women's football remains secondary in Fifa's priorities, despite the 2023 World Cup's remarkable success in generating $570m in revenue.
The case against
Modernising Fifa's financial model through private investment is necessary for the organisation's long-term health and could ultimately benefit all competitions, including women's. Infantino has demonstrably increased investment in women's football relative to his predecessors, and the fact that the controversial plan was abandoned shows that stakeholders can effectively protect their interests. Characterising routine governance negotiations as 'using women's football as a pawn' overlooks that all tournaments were affected by these discussions, and suggests women's football wasn't considered only because these negotiations happened to occur during an already busy competition window.
Discussion