Ceferin Rules Out FIFA Presidency Bid as Infantino Faces Pressure

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out standing against Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency when the governing body holds its congress in March 2027. BBC Sport reported that Ceferin nevertheless expects Infantino either to step aside because of diminished support or to face a challenge from another candidate.

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Ceferin, 57, explained his position during an appearance on The Rest Is Politics podcast. He said he wanted to continue his work at UEFA and believed his criticism of FIFA carried greater credibility if he was not seeking Infantino's job. Ceferin added that he did not yet know who might emerge as an alternative candidate.

The leadership dispute intensified after Infantino abandoned a proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise, a company that would have managed the commercial and ticketing rights for all FIFA competitions. Under the plan, a 21% stake would have been sold to a private investment company. The proposal prompted broad opposition from football authorities.

UEFA led resistance to the plan, with its members voting to boycott World Cups unless it was withdrawn. UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation also issued an open letter accusing Infantino of breaking trust through deception. The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have withdrawn their support for him, according to BBC Sport.

Infantino, 56, still retains the backing of South American governing body Conmebol and the Confederation of African Football. He has sought public support during recent international appearances, including meetings with Caribbean Football Union members in the Dominican Republic and a visit to the E-Sports World Cup in Paris.

Ceferin said UEFA had not been told about the commercial-rights proposal before it became public and maintained that the plan is now dead. His withdrawal from consideration removes one widely discussed potential challenger, but his expectation of a contested election leaves FIFA's leadership question unresolved ahead of the March congress.