UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday. He chose not to attend the match in New Jersey after a series of disagreements with FIFA.
Ceferin had travelled to Mexico City for the tournament opener between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa. His absence from the final stemmed from FIFA's decision to overturn Folarin Balogun's suspension following intervention by United States President Donald Trump.
UEFA described the move as unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable. The organisation stated 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 opposed FIFA initiatives such as half-time entertainment shows and plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams. UEFA has no plans to introduce similar shows at its own competitions and intends to freeze ticket prices for Euro 2028.