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Some 15,000 people are expected for the opening matches of the Under-20 \u200cWomen\u2019s World Cup on Saturday, but it is not yet clear whether FIFA President Gianni Infantino will be among them.<\/strong><\/p>\n The tournament, which runs until September 27 in Poland, is the first major FIFA competition that could have been affected by the governance standoff that followed \u200bInfantino\u2019s proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.<\/p>\n Infantino abandoned the proposal on July \u200b31 after fierce opposition from UEFA and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan envisaged transferring \u2060commercial rights linked to FIFA competitions, including the men\u2019s and women\u2019s World Cups and Club World Cup, into \u200ba new subsidiary, with outside investors paying about $4.2 billion for a stake that valued the business at around $20 billion.<\/p>\n The 56-year-old \u200bSwiss administrator has since faced calls to resign from UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF, although he has announced he will seek a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in March 2027.<\/p>\n No challenger has yet formally declared, but UEFA has said it will work with \u200bother confederations to ensure member associations are offered a credible alternative.<\/p>\n Important development tournament<\/p>\n The Under-20 Women\u2019s World Cup is an \u200bimportant development tournament in the women\u2019s game, with many of its players hoping eventually to feature at the senior Women\u2019s World \u200cCup in \u2060Brazil next year.<\/p>\n The opening day sees hosts Poland face Argentina before Mexico take on Benin, with both matches being played in Katowice.<\/p>\n FIFA could not confirm on Friday whether Infantino would attend the opening matches.<\/p>\n While he has not always attended the opening games of FIFA age-group tournaments, Infantino has remained highly visible since the FFE proposal collapsed.<\/p>\n He attended the \u200bclosing ceremony of the Esports \u200bWorld Cup in Paris \u2060last month and three days later watched Vietnam clinch the ASEAN Championship against Thailand in Hanoi.<\/p>\n He also visited the Dominican Republic while a Caribbean Football Union Under-14 tournament was \u200btaking place, despite CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani asking him to stay away, arguing that \u200bthe controversy surrounding \u2060the FIFA president risked overshadowing the youth event.<\/p>\n Montagliani has been mentioned as a possible challenger to Infantino but has not declared his candidacy. The deadline to do so is November 18.<\/p>\n All six regional confederations are represented among the 24 teams \u2060in Poland.<\/p>\n Under \u200bregulations introduced by FIFA this year, each team in FIFA women\u2019s \u200bcompetitions must have a woman as head coach or among its assistant coaches.<\/p>\n North Korea are the defending champions after winning the 2024 tournament and \u200bwere seeded in the top pot alongside hosts Poland, Japan, Spain, Brazil and France.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n