There have been 23 Fifa men's World Cup tournaments. Thirteen of those have been won by Uefa nations, more than any other continental organisations.

Germany - 4

Italy - 4

Spain - 2

France - 2

England - 1

The other 10 have been won by teams from Conmebol nations - Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

Chris Weatherspoon
Football Finance Writer at The Athletic

If you look at this year's World Cup, six of the eight quarter-finalists were from Uefa. If you strip them out, even if this plan went through and those teams say they aren't playing, the value just plummets.

Wales

Professor Laura McAllister, who was part of the meeting in which all 55 Uefa nations decided to boycott, told BBC Radio Wales: "There was absolute unity about the need to stop this catastrophic proposal of selling off part of football to private equity"

"This poses a genuine existential threat to the game because the minute you sell off part of the crown jewels of football, clearly private equity has very different objectives and motivations to those of us who are custodians of the game."

"UEFA and FIFA are not-for-profit organizations in that all of the money that is made through massive competitions like the World Cups go straight back into football. Even if you sell off 20% of the game, then that's 20% you never get back. Once you've done it, you've done it, and it effectively undermines the whole ethical base of what we're about in football."

Professor McAllister went on to say she "really hopes the boycotts don't happen."

"I feel optimistic they won't, because the reality is the powerhouse of world football is Europe."

Chris McLaughlin
BBC Scotland Sports News Correspondent

There were fears in Scotland that the SFA's position in this fight could be compromised by its president, Mike Mulrainey.

He is on the powerful Fifa finance committee and is known to have a fairly close working relationship with Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

The SFA have been keen to play this down and were making it clear before today's meeting that there would be full support for Uefa's position.

Full Corinthian spirit, they say. Let's not forget that the Tartan Army have had a taste of the big time this year and will be hoping a resolution can be found before they start dreaming of 2030.

Scotland

A statement from the Scottish FA in reaction to Uefa's announcement today:

The President and Chief Executive of the Scottish FA today attended a remote meeting of Uefa nations to discuss the proposed Fifa Forward Enterprise.

The Scottish FA Board agrees unequivocally with the concerns raised by all members over the manner in which these proposals have been issued, and deadline set, without a full consultation process or consideration to good governance.

The Board is fully supportive of the statement issued by Uefa following the meeting.

We are also aligned with our fellow national associations who seek to ensure our collective voice is heard resoundingly, and that the Corinthian spirit which underpins the beautiful game - invented here in Scotland and shared with the world - is protected.

England

The Football Association issued a short statement following Uefa's announcement:

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view.

“We oppose Fifa’s plans - the Fifa World Cup belongs to football and always will.”

We have a couple of statements to bring you from the Football Associations of England and Scotland...

Daniel Austin
BBC Sport senior journalist

Since being elected Fifa president in 2016, Infantino has earned long-standing, widespread backing from many countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, which have gained financially from various policies he has managed.

They include the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, the growth in commercial and broadcast revenue Fifa has overseen, and a programme which allocates millions in funding directly to member countries every year.

That gives him a base of support which constitutes more than half of Fifa's 211 members.

Fifa votes require a simple majority - if more than half vote in favour, Infantino's plan will come into effect.

The proposal will appeal to many nations, particularly those lower down the football food chain, for whom a £15m windfall would be more than they would ordinarily make over several years.

The level of backing Infantino enjoys appears to have emboldened his approach to the presidency. Decisions such as the introduction of hydration breaks and a musical half-time show to the World Cup were taken by his administration without a vote of members, and would have been deemed unthinkable when he took charge a decade ago.

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone
BBC Sport chief football news reporter

Uefa is not the only organisation unhappy with the situation.

Concacaf, which covers North and Central America and hosted this year's World Cup, said in a statement: "We are deeply concerned by the lack of due process.

"We share the disappointment of many within our region and the game that this level of detail has been designed and shared publicly before any discussion with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders has taken place.

"As leaders within football, we are the custodians of the game. Collectively, Fifa, the confederations and every member association have a responsibility to always act in the best interests of the sport."

The French Football Federation said: "It obviously raises many questions, particularly ‌since we, the member federations, were not involved and we lack the specific information needed to weigh in on matters that are clearly fundamental to the future of football."

La Liga president Javier Tebas accused Infantino of trying to buy votes before the next Fifa Congress in March.

"It doesn't seem like a reform. It seems like an electoral campaign financed with the future of football," Tebas said.

"Development cannot be used to buy votes or silences. The competitions and commercial rights of Fifa are not the personal patrimony of Infantino.

"Whoever mixes politics, discipline, money and power without transparency cannot lead anything.

"Infantino is not the solution to Fifa's governance. He is the problem."

If the Uefa nations go ahead with the boycott of all Fifa competitions, it would mean England have played their last match at a World Cup.

How does the song go again? 60 years of hurt? I think it might be a little longer than that now...

Image source, Getty Images

Uefa's threat to boycott Fifa competitions could have huge implications for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.

European nations have been among the leading forces in women's football, with England, Spain, France and Germany all among the world's strongest teams, meaning a boycott would leave huge gaps in terms of quality and commercial value.

FIFA says the proposals would increase funding for football development, but questions remain over how much would reach the women's game.

Image source, Getty Images

The boycott would cover all Fifa competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups and Club World Cup, and be triggered if Fifa president Gianni Infantino's proposals are voted through by member associations.

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

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone
BBC Sport chief football news reporter

One senior source within the English game told BBC Sport that the threat posed by Fifa's plan is one of the biggest the game has faced and is on a par with the proposed European Super League, which created such controversy in 2021 and was scrapped within 48 hours.

It seems unlikely that Fifa will back down in the same manner over this.

This latest escalation extends a difficult relationship between Fifa and Uefa, which responded angrily to attempts to host the World Cup every two years when the idea was floated by former Arsenal manager and Fifa's current chief of global football development Arsene Wenger in 2021.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final this month in protest over a number of controversial moves, including US President Donald Trump stepping in to help turn USA forward Folarin Balogun's one-match ban into a suspended ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 encounter with Belgium.

So what is this all about?

Fifa president Gianni Infantino had written to all 211 member associations offering $40m (£30m) if they backed his plan to sell stakes in its major competitions.

The proposals which Fifa says could raise $10bn (£7.5bn) have faced criticism from Uefa and other stakeholders, with Infantino defending them as a "golden opportunity" to develop the game globally.

Yesterday, a Football Association spokesperson said: "We were completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is and what conditions are attached.

"Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved.

"When the proposal is shared in the full and transparent way now promised by Fifa, we will make our views clear and comment further."

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone
BBC Sport chief football news reporter

Uefa's 55 member associations have voted to boycott World Cups if Fifa proceeds with its plan to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors.

The decision was made at an emergency meeting called to discuss the proposals announced by Fifa - world football's governing body - on Tuesday.

Uefa, which governs European football, had made its opposition clear by releasing two damning statements about the plans - and that strength of feeling has now been reaffirmed.

The boycott would cover all Fifa competitions, including the men's and women's World Cups and Club World Cup, and be triggered if Fifa president Gianni Infantino's proposals are voted through by member associations.

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

In a statement released after the meeting, Uefa said it and its 55 member associations "stand as one".

"We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa's proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors," it said.

"The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale."

Fifa wants to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including the World Cup, and external investors will be able to buy stakes in it.

Infantino wrote to all 211 Fifa member associations saying they would receive $40m (£30m) if they backed his controversial plan to sell off stakes in its major competitions.

The Swiss set a deadline of 19 September for football federations to accept his plans if they wanted to access an initial $20m (£15m).

In response on Wednesday, Uefa accused Fifa of using football "to enrich themselves and their friends".

Image source, Getty Images

As always, we want to hear your thoughts.

Do you agree with the Uefa nations' decision to boycott future Fifa competitions?

Will this be the beginning of the end of Gianni Infantino's reign as Fifa president?

Send in your thoughts by clicking on the 'Get Involved' panel at the side of the page.

It was only 11 days ago that Spain were celebrating their World Cup triumph in the United States.

But the reigning world champions are one of 55 UEFA nations that have agreed to boycott future tournaments after FIFA announced its proposals to sell stakes to private investors.

It feels like a landmark day for football. European nations clearly feel as though FIFA president Gianni Infantino has crossed a line.

Image source, Getty Images