British media reported on Monday that UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin boycotted the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, expressing his displeasure with FIFA.

The relationship between European football's governing body and world football's governing body is growing increasingly tense.

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Among the reasons is FIFA's unjustified decision to overturn the red card issued to American striker Folarin Balogun before the US match against Belgium in the World Cup, after US President Donald Trump asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to "review" the sending-off decision. UEFA expressed its displeasure at Infantino's acquiescence to what it considered political pressure from the host nation, describing the FIFA disciplinary committee's decision as "unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustified," and considering it a "crossing of a red line."

Other sources of tension include FIFA's acceptance of the US authorities' refusal to allow Somali referee Omar Artan to enter the country. UEFA responded by appointing Artan as referee for next month's UEFA Super Cup match.

FIFA also failed to ensure that Iran was treated in the same manner as other participating teams in the United States. Coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team was "the most wronged" in the World Cup, while US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said he "danced with joy" when Iran was eliminated from the tournament.

UEFA has also so far refused to adopt some innovations implemented by FIFA during the World Cup, such as water breaks and the VAR protocol for "mistaken identity" cases, which led to the sending off of striker Breel Embolo in Switzerland's loss to Argentina in the quarter-finals, in addition to yellow cards for players who cover their mouths while speaking to an opponent.

The Slovenian Čeferin had also criticized the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams before its start.

He was quoted as telling a Slovenian newspaper: "We have a lot of matches that are not at all interesting."

Čeferin also publicly criticized World Cup ticket prices.

UEFA confirmed it will continue to offer two categories of "fans first" tickets for UEFA Euro 2028 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

It explained that 40% of tickets will be either under £30 (€35 or $40) or under £60.

It also pledged not to adopt a dynamic pricing system.

Čeferin did not attend the tournament's opening match in Mexico City on June 11.