Pressure continues to build for FIFA president Gianni Infantino as national federations are coming forward to support and oppose his leadership.
Infantino is currently set to run unopposed for reelection as FIFA president in the spring, and gained endorsements from several continental bodies and individual FIFA member associations before last week’s disastrous proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup.
FIFA announced the idea to commercialize its business by taking money from outside investors on July 27. After days of mounting opposition—including UEFA saying it would boycott all FIFA tournaments and two top FIFA execs condemning the plan—Infantino dropped the effort on July 31.
On July 30, Finland became the first federation to withdraw its support of Infantino’s candidacy for another term as FIFA president.
On Monday, Wales and Serbia followed, with Serbia calling the decision the “only logical and rational move.” England’s Football Association is also set to write a letter withdrawing support, according to multiple reports.
But while the European response to FFE was unanimous among the 55 member associations, not all countries have immediately come out against Infantino.
The Swiss federation said it’s having talks “internally and externally with other associations” about next steps, and also said it wants to sit down with Infantino himself. Infantino is Swiss, and also has Italian and Lebanese citizenship.
Outside of Europe, several countries’ soccer federations have reaffirmed their support for Infantino in recent days, including 2022 World Cup host Qatar, 2030 host Morocco, Lebanon, Kuwait, the UAE, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
Infantino has held his position since 2016, when he took over for Sepp Blatter amid the widespread FIFA corruption scandal. FIFA presidents are usually done after three terms, but Infantino gets to try for an extra round because he said the three years he took over for Blatter don’t count. Infantino ran unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Some federations never supported Infantino having another term, and are basking in that decision now.
“The DFB was among the few associations that did not support Gianni Infantino’s re-election at an early stage,” Germany’s national soccer federation, the Deutscher Fußball-Bund, said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “Therefore, there is no basis for us to withdraw our support at this time, given that there was no support to begin with.”
On Friday, UEFA threatened legal action against FIFA, an effort that is still on the table despite FFE being scrapped. The European body also said FIFA leadership has “lost UEFA’s confidence.”
Three Paths Forward
Amid all the backlash, Infantino could resign outright or stand down his re-election bid. However, there have been no public indications from Infantino or FIFA that he is willing to do so.
Another possibility is countries bringing forth a no-confidence vote. Only 43 FIFA countries are needed to call an emergency FIFA Congress, fewer than are in UEFA’s ranks. However, UEFA has been a loud critic of Infantino’s for years, and will need the support of other soccer bodies to successfully oust him.
The third option is a challenger to Infantino. The deadline for another candidate to join the FIFA presidential race is Nov. 18.
Canadian CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has emerged as the likeliest contender. He has led the North American, Central American, and Caribbean federation since 2016, and was heavily involved in the 2026 World Cup.
The FIFA vice president has faced backlash for how he and others at Soccer Canada handled the 2008 firing of a coach who later became a convicted sex offender. He also oversaw CONCACAF’s partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has been ongoing since 2024.
