Infantino’s presidency under threat: FIFA elections, challengers, dates

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkPresident of FIFA Gianni Infantino attended the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup at the Grand Palais in Paris, France on August 23 [Teresa Suarez/Reuters]By Hafsa AdilPublished On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026FIFA President Gianni Infantino, currently the most powerful man in world football, appears to be pulling out all the stops in a bid to retain his position despite growing calls for his ouster and wide-ranging disapproval of his plans.The 56-year-old has been in charge of FIFA for over 10 years and is seen as a divisive figure in international football, with his close ties to some of the most powerful global leaders and plans for maximising revenue from football viewed as a threat to the game.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Root ‘hacked off’ by England cricket team after police handcuff Carselist 2 of 4Big-spending Tottenham sign Brazilian winger Savinho from Manchester Citylist 3 of 4Ex-Wimbledon champion Vondrousova appeals to CAS over four-year doping banlist 4 of 4Ex-Liverpool star Fabinho reunited with Mohamed Salah at Trabzonsporend of listWith a little over six months until the next round of elections for FIFA’s presidency, Infantino appears to be losing ground among his usual backers in national football federations and regional confederations.Here’s a look at where Infantino stands in terms of support and what challenges lie ahead for him and FIFA:Why is Infantino being challenged as FIFA president?While the Swiss head of FIFA has never been a widely popular figure with football fans, he has enjoyed support amongst leading figures in the sport and global leaders.This popularity, however, has waned over the past few months, especially since making no secret of his close ties with United States President Donald Trump and announcing FIFA’s plans to privatise the World Cup in order to maximise revenue from the tournament.The FIFA chief first met Trump at the White House in 2018 after the US was awarded the co-hosting rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Infantino has since made several public appearances with the US president, including at the so-called Summit for Peace in Egypt in October 2025.Infantino was the target of widespread scathing criticism in December, when he handed the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to the US president at the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw held at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, DC.The final blow to the global football chief’s position came in the days after the World Cup, when he invited private investors to buy a stake in future profits from World Cups and all FIFA events. The investor group was led by Joshua Kushner, an American businessman who is also the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.While the ensuing backlash – which included pledges by European nations to boycott FIFA events and claims from senior staff that Infantino deceived everyone – led Infantino to announce Friday that he was abandoning the plan, irreparable damage had already been to his reputation.He now faces a race against time to garner support in his push for an extraordinary fourth term as president.How many terms can one FIFA president have?FIFA presidents are limited to three terms in office, with each term lasting four years.However, in 2022, Infantino successfully argued that his first spell in charge, which began when he was elected at an extraordinary FIFA Congress ⁠in 2016 following Sepp Blatter’s resignation, should not count towards that limit because it completed an interrupted mandate.His plans to run for a fourth term have been questioned by critics and rights groups, who have asked FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) to block Infantino’s re-election bid.What are the key dates for FIFA elections and how do they work?The polls to elect FIFA’s next president will be held at the global governing body’s next congress, which is slated for March 18, 2027 in Rabat, Morocco.All challengers vying for the post must declare their candidacy by November 18.The candidates will face off in a poll involving all 211 FIFA member nations, with 106 votes required to pick a winner.Who are the likely candidates to challenge Infantino for the FIFA presidency?European football (UEFA) chief Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out from the running and no individuals have announced their plans to challenge Infantino openly.However, a number of regional FIFA confederation chiefs and some other powerful figures in global football have been tipped as potential candidates. They are: Victor Montagliani, president of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nasser al-Khelaifi, chairman of the European Club Association (ECA) and president of Paris Saint Germain football club Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) How has Infantino reacted to the challenge?The FIFA chief has been scrambling to gather support and has made public appearances despite having being advised to maintain a low profile. He was asked by Montagliani to skip an Under-14 football event in the Caribbean last week but Infantino posted photos on his Instagram account, showing his meeting with political and football officials from the Dominican Republic.The move was seen as an attempt to seek support from the regional football officials, but a FIFA statement quoted Infantino as saying: “It’s important to engage, to have a dialogue, to express views and opinions – a lot [has] been happening in the last few weeks and it’s important that you hear, you listen and you’re able to, also, express what your feelings are.”Infantino’s latest public appearance was in France on Monday, where he attended the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup at the Grand Palais in Paris and was seated besides French President Emmanuel Macron and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman.Which national football federations and regional confederations are backing Infantino?Despite the ongoing crisis, Infantino has found longstanding support from the African confederation, with CAF’s top decision-making body late siding with the ⁠FIFA president.Mexico and Argentina have also put their weight behind him, with South America’s CONMEBOL football governing body issuing a statement this month to reject any attempt to oust Infantino that did not involve a vote of all 211 members.When is the next major FIFA tournament?The FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup is less than two weeks away, with the tournament kicking off on September 5 in Poland.While UEFA issued a statement earlier this month saying its 55-member association remains committed to boycotting FIFA competitions, the competition is slated to go ahead as scheduled.