„The FIFA president announced in April that he will seek re-election in 2027,“ said a FIFA press representative. „Of course, nothing has changed. Mr. Infantino will seek re-election.“
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The 56-year-old Swiss faced much criticism when he announced the „FIFA Forward Enterprise“ (FFE) plan at the end of July, which aimed to attract private investments into FIFA events.
Now, for the first time since the brief plan was made public, FIFA has reiterated G. Infantino’s intention to run for a fourth and final term in next year’s elections.
If re-elected, he will continue to lead world football until 2031.
G. Infantino is currently in Poland, where the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is taking place, but on Saturday he refused to comment on his future when asked by journalists.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) accused G. Infantino of „criminal mismanagement“ over the mentioned plan and was the main initiator of the initial resistance. The organization threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, if the plan was not withdrawn.
However, the plan received strong support from the North American organization CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
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CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is considered by many to be the most realistic rival to G. Infantino; meanwhile, UEFA chief Aleksander Čeferin decided not to run.
FIFA vice president V. Montagliani was long considered a close ally of G. Infantino, but even before distancing himself from the now-canceled plan to allow private investments in World Cups, there were signs that he sees FIFA’s goal somewhat differently than the Swiss.
Still, G. Infantino has support – last month he received backing from the 2034 World Cup host Saudi Arabia, as well as the African football governing body CAF and the South American organization CONMEBOL.
Since G. Infantino is currently the only declared candidate for the March 2027 elections, he will need a simple majority of votes from the 211 FIFA member federations to extend his leadership, which began in 2016.
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Candidacies for next year’s elections must be submitted by November 18.
