England, runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, face two-legged qualification play-offs in October, as do Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We oppose Fifa's plans – the Fifa World Cup belongs to football and always will." "This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa's duty as the custodian of world football," Uefa said. "The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in Fifa competitions, football changes forever. We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa's proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.