UEFA President Ceferin boycotts World Cup final over FIFA dispute

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin did not travel to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. He said his boycott was a protest against several FIFA decisions, most prominently the suspension of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun being lifted after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. UEFA called the reversal “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and warned that “when the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.” Ceferin also criticised FIFA’s high ticket‑price model, the proposal to expand the tournament to 64 teams and the extended halftime and mandatory hydration breaks. He attended the tournament’s opening match in Mexico City but skipped the final to signal the deepening rift between UEFA and FIFA.