Imagine the 2030 FIFA World Cup kicking off without the Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany….
No sea of orange in the stands. No “Hup Holland Hup” echoing through the stadiums. No chance to watch the next generation of Dutch stars compete for football’s biggest prize.
Just a World Cup without Oranje.
Only a few weeks ago, such a scenario would have sounded impossible. Today, it is no longer unthinkable.
The growing conflict between FIFA and UEFA has reached a level that European football has rarely seen before. At the center of the dispute is FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s proposal to place the commercial rights of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions into a new commercial entity and sell a minority stake to private investors. FIFA argues that the move would generate billions to develop football around the world. UEFA sees something very different: the commercialization of football’s most prestigious tournament.
Politics Enters the Picture
The controversy deepened after reports emerged about the identities of some of the potential investors. According to Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad, one of the candidates is Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. The newspaper also reported that several other prospective investors are believed to have close ties to President Trump.
Whether these political connections would have any influence over football is impossible to know. But their mere existence raises uncomfortable questions. Football has always claimed to be politically neutral, yet its biggest competition now risks becoming intertwined with billionaire investors who have strong political connections.
FIFA Hasn’t Earned the Benefit of the Doubt
The problem is that this proposal does not arrive in a vacuum.
FIFA’s credibility has been damaged for years.
The corruption investigations that erupted in 2015 exposed widespread bribery and corruption involving senior football officials and shattered the image of FIFA as a trustworthy governing body. Although reforms followed, many supporters have never fully regained their confidence in the organization.
Then came the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Regardless of the quality of football on the pitch, the tournament remained overshadowed by controversy over the bidding process, the treatment of migrant workers and the growing influence of politics and money on the world’s biggest sporting event.
The 2026 World Cup Raised Even More Questions
If FIFA hoped the 2026 World Cup would restore confidence, many supporters came away with the opposite feeling.
Throughout the tournament, social media and football talk shows were filled with accusations that FIFA and Gianni Infantino appeared unusually close to Lionel Messi and defending champions Argentina. There is no evidence proving FIFA manipulated matches or influenced results, but the widespread perception itself highlighted how fragile trust in football’s governing body has become.
At the same time, Infantino’s increasingly visible relationship with Donald Trump drew further criticism. Public appearances together, political symbolism surrounding the tournament and now reports that investors close to Trump’s circle could acquire a stake in the commercial future of the World Cup create an uncomfortable image for an organization that repeatedly claims to stand above politics.
Whether fair or unfair, many fans increasingly feel that football’s biggest tournament is becoming associated with powerful political figures, billionaire investors and commercial interests rather than the supporters who made it the greatest sporting event on Earth.
The Boycott Nobody Wants
UEFA’s response has been unusually strong. Reports suggest Europe’s governing body is considering every possible option—including a boycott of future FIFA competitions if relations continue to deteriorate.
If UEFA were ever to organize such a boycott, the Netherlands would almost certainly stand alongside its European partners.
That would mean no Oranje at the World Cup.
Imagine a tournament without the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, England, Italy, Portugal or Belgium. It would still carry the World Cup name, but it would lose much of the quality, history and prestige that makes it special.
A Massive Blow for Dutch Football
For Dutch supporters, the consequences would be enormous.
The Netherlands has reached three World Cup finals and has given the world Total Football, Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp and countless unforgettable memories. Future generations deserve the opportunity to write their own history—not become victims of a political and commercial conflict.
Players dream of representing Oranje on football’s biggest stage. Losing that opportunity because of a dispute between FIFA and UEFA would be devastating.
Is Football Becoming an Investment Product?
There is nothing wrong with attracting investment to grow football. FIFA argues that additional funding will help develop the game around the world.
But private equity firms do not invest billions out of charity.
They expect returns.
That raises a fundamental question: once investors own part of the commercial engine behind the World Cup, how long will it be before they demand even greater revenues?
More matches.
More tournaments.
More sponsors.
Higher ticket prices.
More commercial influence.
Football has already reached a point where players are overloaded and supporters complain about an endless calendar. Selling the commercial future of the World Cup risks pushing the game even further away from the people who made it the world’s most beloved sport.
Football Deserves Better
Gianni Infantino often speaks about making football more global.
Few supporters oppose that goal.
But leadership is measured by trust, not by the size of television contracts or investment funds.
Today, FIFA is asking football supporters to trust an organization whose reputation has been damaged by years of scandals, while simultaneously asking them to accept billionaire investors—some reportedly connected to one of the world’s most polarizing political figures—buying into football’s greatest tournament.
That contradiction is difficult to ignore.
The World Cup should unite nations.
It should not become a symbol of boardroom politics, financial engineering and political connections.
For the sake of Oranje—and for football supporters across the world—we can only hope that FIFA and UEFA find common ground.
Because the greatest tragedy would not be a financial dispute.
It would be a World Cup without the Netherlands, and a tournament that slowly loses the trust of the very fans who made it the greatest sporting event on Earth.
This is so sad by the way. All those players, FDB, Reiziger and Koeman was all decent players when they…