Explained: Who Could Replace Gianni Infantino? Inside FIFA’s Election Process
News sports football Explained: Who Could Replace Gianni Infantino? Inside FIFA’s Election Process Explained: Who Could Replace Gianni Infantino? Inside FIFA’s Election Process Published By
News sports football Explained: Who Could Replace Gianni Infantino? Inside FIFA’s Election Process Explained: Who Could Replace Gianni Infantino? Inside FIFA’s Election Process Published By, Last Updated: August 06, 2026, 20:05 IST FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces backlash over a cancelled World Cup stake sale, jeopardising his re-election bid. Rapid Read Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump (AP) FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing massive flak over his recent efforts to sell stakes in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, a decision that was eventually cancelled, but was enough to infuriate football bodies across the world and put Infantino’s position in danger. A group of European football associations has announced it will no longer back his re-election bid in March 2027. Meanwhile, three of world football’s six continental confederations: UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, have opposed his leadership after his now-abandoned proposal to bring in private investors sparked widespread backlash. At the centre of the controversy was FIFA’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise, unveiled last week but withdrawn within days. The planned commercial subsidiary would have managed the FIFA World Cup, Club World Cup and other FIFA tournaments while controlling their commercial rights. FIFA valued the venture at $20 billion and intended to raise $4.2 billion by selling around a 20% stake to private investors. The key question now is whether Infantino, who has led world football since 2016, can remain in office until the FIFA Congress on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco.
Until recently, he had been expected to bag an unopposed fourth and final term, extending his presidency through 2031. European FAs Withdraw Support for Infantino Re-Election Bid As per a Reuters report, five European football associations: England’s FA, Wales, Serbia, Sweden and Finland, have withdrawn their earlier letters backing Infantino’s re-election. Denmark, which hadn’t supported him, reiterated that it had no intention of doing so. The English FA called for ‘a full and robust review of FIFA’s leadership and governance’, while the Swedish Football Association pointed to ‘recurring shortcomings in governance, transparency and management’ as the reason for its stance. Signs of unrest had also emerged within FIFA’s Zurich headquarters. Chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said last Friday that staff had been ‘deceived’ and described the FFE as ‘the project of one person’. UEFA & Allies Have Numbers to Force Extraordinary FIFA Congress Under Article 25.4 of the FIFA Statutes, an Extraordinary Congress can be called if at least one-fifth of the governing body’s 211 member associations- 43 federations or more- submit a formal written request outlining the agenda. Once the threshold is met, the Congress must be convened within three months. UEFA alone has 55 member associations, enough to trigger an Extraordinary Congress. Combined with CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, the three confederations control 136 votes, well above the required threshold. As per The Times of London, the trio is determined to force Infantino out and is even prepared to launch breakaway competitions if he refuses to step down.
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