By Iain Axon
KATOWICE, Poland, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Some 15,000 people are expected for the opening matches of the Under-20 Women’s World Cup on Saturday, but it is not yet clear whether FIFA President Gianni Infantino will be among them.
The tournament, which runs until September 27 in Poland, is the first major FIFA competition that could have been affected by the governance standoff that followed Infantino’s proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
Infantino abandoned the proposal on July 31 after fierce opposition from UEFA and other stakeholders.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan envisaged transferring commercial rights linked to FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cup, into a new subsidiary, with outside investors paying about $4.2 billion for a stake that valued the business at around $20 billion.
The 56-year-old Swiss administrator has since faced calls to resign from UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF, although he has announced he will seek a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in March 2027.
No challenger has yet formally declared, but UEFA has said it will work with other confederations to ensure member associations are offered a credible alternative.
IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT TOURNAMENT
The Under-20 Women’s World Cup is an important development tournament in the women’s game, with many of its players hoping eventually to feature at the senior Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year.
The opening day sees hosts Poland face Argentina before Mexico take on Benin, with both matches being played in Katowice.
FIFA could not confirm on Friday whether Infantino would attend the opening matches.
While he has not always attended the opening games of FIFA age-group tournaments, Infantino has remained highly visible since the FFE proposal collapsed.
He attended the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris last month and three days later watched Vietnam clinch the ASEAN Championship against Thailand in Hanoi.
He also visited the Dominican Republic while a Caribbean Football Union Under-14 tournament was taking place, despite CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani asking him to stay away, arguing that the controversy surrounding the FIFA president risked overshadowing the youth event.
Montagliani has been mentioned as a possible challenger to Infantino but has not declared his candidacy. The deadline to do so is November 18.
All six regional confederations are represented among the 24 teams in Poland.
Under regulations introduced by FIFA this year, each team in FIFA women’s competitions must have a woman as head coach or among its assistant coaches.
North Korea are the defending champions after winning the 2024 tournament and were seeded in the top pot alongside hosts Poland, Japan, Spain, Brazil and France.
(Editing by Julien Pretot and Alex Richardson)
