Gianni Infantino Confirms Bid for Fourth Term as FIFA President

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will stand for re-election in March 2027, football's global governing body has confirmed. BBC Sport reported that FIFA reiterated the 56-year-old Swiss administrator's candidacy after he first announced in April that he intended to run again.

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Infantino has led FIFA since 2016, when he succeeded Sepp Blatter. The coming election would be his bid for a fourth term, the maximum permitted under FIFA's rules. If successful, he would remain president until 2031. Nominations for the election must be submitted by November 18.

The confirmation comes after pressure on Infantino over a plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investment firms. The proposal was ultimately abandoned after provoking opposition, including a threat from European governing body UEFA to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. FIFA's statement said nothing had changed about Infantino's intention to seek another term.

The dispute between the two governing bodies has continued beyond the withdrawal of the investment plan. According to BBC Sport, FIFA this week accused UEFA of conducting a smear campaign against the organisation and its leadership. UEFA filed legal papers in the United States last week seeking the disclosure of evidence and documents from FIFA, and warned that it could make a criminal complaint in Switzerland.

BBC Sport also reported that UEFA believes a challenger to Infantino can be found, although no opposing candidate has been formally named. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is regarded as a possible option. Any candidate would need the support of at least 106 of FIFA's 211 member associations to win the presidency.

UEFA has dropped the idea of pursuing a no-confidence vote because the required threshold is considered unattainable. Such a move would need support from three-quarters of FIFA's members, or 159 votes, through a statutes change. Meanwhile, the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have publicly withdrawn their support for Infantino, setting up a potentially contested election process before the March vote.