European teams to boycott World Cup if Fifa plans approved

Teams including England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales might not take part in either the men's or women's World Cup if Fifa's plans go ahead.

The Union of European football (the Uefa) have announced it's 55 member associations have voted to boycott (not take part in) World Cups if Fifa sells stakes in competitions to private investors.

Keep reading to understand what this means...

Fifa, who oversee world football, have announced plans that they will sell part of there business to investors.

Investors are people or companies who give money because they hope they will make money from what they buy.

Whilst investors would own some of the business, FIFA say they would still keep control of how the tournament was run.

The FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote to all 211 Fifa member associations saying they would receive $40m (£30m) each if they backed his proposal.

In statement he said his intention was to "unleash the commercial potential and opportunity that FIFA has " because "parts of the game have turned [football's] popularity into remarkable commercial value."

Adding "Football has become a truly global game and so the benefits must be felt globally."

But, the Uefa have said 'The World Cup is not for sale'.

Uefa stands for the Union of European Football Associations. It is the main group that runs football in Europe.

They held an emergency meeting about Fifa's plans as they strongly disagree with them.

After the meeting they released a statement saying: "The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies..."

"No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale."

They also announced that should Fifa go ahead with these plans all 55 members of Uefa will not take part in World Cups.

If Fifa still decide to push ahead, the boycott would cover all Fifa competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups and Club World Cup.

This would mean that countries such as England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales as well and other European countries such as France and Spain would refuse to take part in both the men's and women's tournaments.

While Uefa only accounts for a quarter of Fifa's membership, it does include most of the world's most successful teams.

Of the 23 World Cups to have taken place to date, 13 have been won by European countries.

The first time this stance will be tested is October, when the Women's World Cup play-offs are due to be held.