Al-Khelaifi proposes global clubs body, takes veiled swipe at Infantino

At the EFC General Assembly in Copenhagen, Nasser Al-Khelaifi unveiled plans to create 'World Football Clubs' — a proposed global body intended to give clubs an institutional voice alongside FIFA's six confederations. He framed it as representation for every club, citing that 857 players from European clubs took part in this year's 48-team World Cup (nearly 70 percent of all players). EFC membership has expanded from 247 clubs in 2026 to more than 900 across 55 countries, with a goal of 1,000. Barcelona has returned to EFC and Real Madrid is in the process of returning — a 'gesture of goodwill' after the Super League fallout. Al-Khelaifi also said the EFC-UEFA joint venture UC3 will generate more than €20 billion in the next four-year cycle, with around €2 billion going to clubs outside European competitions, plus youth and women's football. He distributed €233 million to 901 clubs for releasing players for national-team competitions between 2026 and 2026. Without naming FIFA President Gianni Infantino, he criticized the current atmosphere, saying football works when stakeholders listen, remain transparent and are honest. He called UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin 'the type of leader football needs' and urged him to run for another term. However, the proposal leaves open formal status, governance, membership and timetable. The reported financial figures are inconsistent: €20 billion does not equal $5.67 billion at the stated exchange rate; it would be over $22 billion. This raises doubts about the precision of the announcement. The broader strategic read: EFC is forming a defensive block with UEFA against FIFA's expanding power, while courting non-European clubs. Yet whether this truly democratizes club football or entrenches European commercial hegemony remains the critical question. The next verification point is FIFA's Congress, where the football world will see if Al-Khelaifi's proposed block holds or breaks.