UEFA member federations will boycott all FIFA competitions in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. The European soccer body says it’s a unanimous decision after an urgent online meeting of the 55 members. The strategy meeting was called to counter FIFA president Infantino’s offer of $20 million to each of its 211 global members that has to be accepted by mid-September. Infantino’s secret proposal was revealed Tuesday to spin off its commercial operations in a $20 billion operation 20% owned by private investors. The North American soccer body rejected Infantino’s plan later Thursday.

Trinity Rodman scored her eighth goal of the season in the Washington Spirit’s 1-0 victory over the Utah Royals on Wednesday night. The match in Sandy, Utah, was paused in the 25th minute because of inclement weather. Three minutes after the restart, Paige Metayer’s low-driven cross into the box found Rodman for the game’s lone goal. In other action in the National Women’s Soccer League; the Kansas City Current soundly beat Racing Louisville 5-1, and Gotham FC topped Bay FC 1-0.

FIFA has lodged disciplinary charges against two Argentina players for striking Spain opponents moments after the World Cup final. It also charged Argentina's soccer federation for players showing a political banner about the Falkland Islands after beating England in the semifinals. Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes faces three charges of assault in the post-game clashes after Spain’s 1-0 win on July 19, defender Nahuel Molina faces two charges and coach Roberto Ayala one. Molina and Thiago Almada also are charged with unsporting behavior, with the same charge leveled against Spain player Gavi. Argentina’s players carried a banner with the slogan “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — “The Malvinas are Argentine” — after beating England.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino plans to create a $20 billion company running the World Cup with private investors including the Kushner family. The plan was immediately attacked by European soccer body UEFA which says “None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell." Infantino plans to form FIFA Forward Enterprise running competitions like the World Cup and Club World Cup. FIFA is working with J.P. Morgan while investors would include Thrive Eternal created by Joshua Kushner whose brother Jared is a son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. FIFA is currently a Swiss-based not-for-profit association of its 211 national member federations worldwide. Those members must approve any plan.

Trinity Rodman shines as the Washington Spirit defeats the Denver Summit 1-0 in the National Women's Soccer League. Rodman assisted Sofia Cantore's goal in the 61st minute on Sunday. The Spirit overcame the absence of four players due to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. In other matches, Racing Louisville beat Angel City 2-1, with Maja Lardner scoring twice. The Seattle Reign shut out the San Diego Wave 2-0, with Maddie Mercado and Jordyn Bugg scoring. Seattle coach Laura Harvey made history with her 100th win for the club.

Dániel Gazdag scored the go-ahead goal on a first-half penalty kick and Patrick Schulte made it stand up as the Columbus Crew edged FC Cincinnati 2-1. Columbus (5-8-4) took a 2-1 lead into halftime when Gazdag scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time. The PK was awarded after Max Arfsten was fouled by Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga. Two of Gazdag’s three goals this season have come on PKs in the last week. Kévin Denkey scored in the 9th minute to give Cincinnati (6-6-5) an early lead in the 22nd edition of the Hell is Real derby between the Ohio rivals. Columbus pulled even in the 42nd minute when Jamal Thiaré used his head to score off a corner kick from Dylan Chambost.

Nicolás Fernández scored on a first-half penalty kick and Agustín Ojeda found the net in the second half to help New York City FC hold off the Columbus Crew 2-1. NYCFC (6-6-4) took a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute on the PK by Fernández. It was the 10th goal this season for the 26-year-old after scoring three in 11 matches as a rookie last year. The kick was awarded after Ojeda was fouled by Crew midfielder Max Arfsten. Ojeda took a pass from Talles Magno and scored in the 70th minute for a 2-0 lead. The goal for Columbus (4-8-4) came on a PK by Dániel Gazdag in the third minute of stoppage time

Pavel Bucha scored two goals to help FC Cincinnati beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 4-3. Evander Da Silva Ferreira — known simply as “Evander” — added a goal and an assist for Cincinnati and Kevin Denkey also scored a goal. Roman Celentano had three saves for Cincinnati (6-5-5). The Whitecaps (10-3-2) played for the first time since before the World Cup break after their game at Chicago, which had originally been scheduled for Thursday, was postponed until Oct. 6 due to poor air quality in the area. Jeevan Badwal scored his first goal of the season (the second of his career) off a cross played into the area by Bruno Caicedo in the 12th minute. Ryan Gauld added goals in the 25th and 58th minutes.

The World Cup hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico wasn't perfect, but has still been widely hailed as a success. The tournament featured 48 teams and 104 games, with stars like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé captivating audiences. Despite some political issues and weather challenges, the games mostly went smoothly. Fox and Telemundo reported strong viewership, with the Spain-Argentina final drawing millions. Fox said Tuesday that the Spain-Argentina game drew 38.937 million viewers — including a peak of 51.685 million — which easily set the record as the most-watched English language soccer telecast in U.S. history, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Spanish soccer has reached a level of its own. Spain’s World Cup victory on Sunday added to the nation’s long list of recent triumphs across men’s, women’s and youth competitions. It highlighted the dominance of a system that has stuck to a tactical identity and the development of collective talent. The men’s team is also the current European champion, the Olympic gold medalist and has reached the Nations League final twice, winning once. The women’s squad is the defending World Cup champion and a two-time Nations League winner, and it made it to the final of the 2025 European Championship.