France Confirms U20 Women's World Cup Participation Despite Uefa Boycott
Key Points
- France confirmed on Thursday it will participate in the Under-20 Women's World Cup starting September 5 in Poland.
- Uefa's 55 member associations voted to boycott all Fifa competitions after Infantino's privatization proposal, which has since been abandoned.
- England's participation remains uncertain, with the Football Association unable to provide comment to BBC Sport on tournament attendance.
The boycott would heavily impact women's football. Beyond the U20 tournament starting September 5, European qualifiers for next summer's Women's World Cup in Brazil are scheduled for October, as are the Under-17 Women's World Cup qualifying matches. Should European teams including defending champions Spain not participate in the October qualifiers because of a Uefa boycott, they would be unable to compete in the 2027 Women's World Cup in Mexico.
England defender Lucy Bronze, speaking on Chelsea's pre-season tour in New Zealand, said players would back a boycott if necessary. "I think the players who play in those competitions, the European players, we stand by our beliefs and what the right thing is for our game. And if that means boycotting competitions, then that has to happen," Bronze said.
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France's decision to proceed creates a test case for Uefa's boycott resolve. If other European nations follow France's lead, the boycott could fracture; if they comply with Uefa's stance, women's football faces unprecedented tournament cancellations affecting six qualifying pathways across three age levels. The tournament commences in 29 days.
Sources: BBC Sport and other international news outlets.
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