Hosts Poland said on Tuesday that preparations for next month’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup remain on schedule, as the tournament prepares to become the first FIFA event staged amid the backlash against global football chief Gianni Infantino.
It will be the first FIFA competition since UEFA’s 55 member associations unanimously voted to support a boycott of FIFA events after Infantino proposed and then abandoned a plan to carve off the commercial rights to the World Cup and sell 20 per cent of them to private investors to raise about $4.2 billion.
That triggered a massive football governance dispute.
“Preparations for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup are progressing according to the agreed schedule and have now entered their final stage,” the Polish federation said in a statement to Reuters.
“The Polish Football Association (PZPN) has not received any information regarding the possible withdrawal of any participating team from the tournament. We believe that the current situation will be resolved swiftly.
“For many of these young players, this tournament represents an important milestone in their sporting careers, and we remain fully focused on delivering an event worthy of their talent and commitment.”
New Zealand have joined France in confirming they intend to compete at the tournament, which runs from September 5 to 27.
“New Zealand Football is sending a team to the U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Poland next month. The tournament is critical in the development for the women’s game,” a New Zealand Football spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.
France became the first nation to confirm participation in the 24-team tournament.
England’s FA and Canada Soccer said they had no comment at this time, while the U.S. are expected to attend the tournament. The U.S. Soccer federation declined to comment.
European soccer governing body UEFA doubled down on its boycott threat last week.
“UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions,” the European football federation said in a statement.
FIFA’s Under-17 Women’s World Cup is scheduled for October in Morocco, and European nations including World Cup runners-up England have scheduled qualifying matches for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.-Reuters
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