England Told to Carry On as Uefa's Fifa Boycott Threat Looms Over Women's Under-20 World Cup
England's young women's footballers are being told to prepare for next month's Under-20 World Cup in Poland as if nothing is happening — even as European football's governing body threatens to pull every one of its teams out of all Fifa competitions.
Lydia Bedford, head coach of England's Under-20 women's team, said the Football Association told her to "just continue as usual" despite Uefa's boycott threat hanging over the tournament. Speaking to BBC Sport in Portugal after a warm-up win against the Portuguese, Bedford said she had not "thought too much about the bigger picture" and would name her Young Lionesses squad next week. She also confirmed the team had not raised the potential boycott with the players.
The dispute at the heart of this goes well beyond youth football. Uefa — European football's governing body, representing 55 member nations — and all 55 of those associations voted unanimously on 30 July 2026 to boycott all Fifa tournaments (Reuters). The trigger is Fifa president Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. A specific proposal called the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) was abandoned earlier this month, but the boycott threat still stands.
The Under-20 Women's World Cup, scheduled to begin in September in Poland, is the first Fifa tournament to fall in the path of that threat. All 55 Uefa members voted to support the boycott, making it the first real test of whether the threat turns into action.
Poland, the host nation, has pushed back. Preparations remain on track, Polish officials have said, and the country has spoken out publicly over the boycott threat (The Independent; Reuters).
Other nations are pressing on too. France say they still plan to compete (BBC Sport). New Zealand has committed. Canada and Brazil are continuing their preparations amid the turmoil (Reuters). England defender Lucy Bronze, a senior international, said European players would support a boycott if necessary, backing Uefa's stance against Fifa (Reuters).
For the players, the irony is sharp. A tournament designed to showcase the next generation of women's football — complete with an official song by Polish pop star Blanka and a mascot named Islana — may be derailed by a power struggle among the men in suits who run the global game.
For now, Bedford and her staff are keeping the focus tight. Tactics, fitness, selection. The things a coach can control. The things that matter when the whistle blows — if it blows at all.
