Next FIFA president: Candidates to challenge Gianni Infantino once presidential election is called
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There is a growing animosity inside and outside FIFA regarding the standing of president Gianni Infantino, who has spent a decade in charge of the football governing body.
For the majority of Infantino's 10 years in charge, the feeling within FIFA has been that of a united front behind Infantino, even as fans and media express frustration with the direction of the game throughout recent years. The Swiss-born football executive has seen the non-profit's cash reserves grow exponentially, while the World Cup has blossomed into a cash behemoth.
Yet it only took one major controversy for Infantino's position to become not just tenuous, but downright toxic, as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal has completely eroded faith in the president and generated criticism and vitriol across all corners of the football world.
The Sporting News explains if Infantino will step down, and who could push to take over if the current president is either ushered out or loses the upcoming presidential vote in early 2027.
MORE:Every confederation's response to Infantino's FFE plan, including UEFA and CONCACAF aggression
Will Gianni Infantino resign?
At this point, there is no indication that Gianni Infantino has any intention of stepping down, even as the football world starts to unite against him. In fact, there is no indication that he has changed his mind about running for reelection in March should he make it that far.
However, there is growing pressure for Infantino to reconsider his position as FIFA president, both outwardly and internally.
According to a report by Tom Morgan of The Telegraph on August 1, UEFA has informed Gianni Infantino that the federation will trigger a vote of no confidence unless the FIFA president resigns of his own accord.
UEFA released a public statement that implicated Infantino as a tyrant whose "secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game" have fractured the sport's power structure and left the organisation's executive committee fighting from within.
"The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family," the statement read.
There are multiple reports over the last few days as well as statements from at least three confederations that have indicated anger within FIFA towards Infantino's secrecy over the FFE deal.
CONCACAF expressed their "deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies." Meanwhile, AFC stated that questions remained regarding "the central concerns surrounding governance, institutional process and meaningful consultation."
According to The Athletic, emergency meetings for both UEFA and CONCACAF resulted in open expressions of doubt about Infantino's ability to continue in charge.
A report by Rob Harris of Sky Sports on August 1, meanwhile, indicated that "moves to force Gianni Infantino out of the FIFA presidency are officially under way and accelerating." The report states that there is now "a determined effort at the top of European football in particular to ensure Infantino does not survive at FIFA." It remains to be seen what UEFA's plan is, but it's likely to move quickly, as they will want the current anger to fuel their push, rather than wait until the upcoming presidential election when tensions will likely have cooled.
When is the next FIFA presidential election?
As it currently stands, the next FIFA presidential election is scheduled to take place on March 17, 2027.
Gianni Infantino was planning to run for his fourth presidential term, which by FIFA statutes would be his final term as president.
FIFA presidents are limited to three full four-year terms. Infantino was first elected president in 2016 following the dismissal of Sepp Blatter, given an initial three-year term, which did not count towards the term limit due to the special nature of the election.
Infantino was re-elected unopposed in both 2019 and 2023. Because those are technically his first and second full terms as FIFA president, he therefore would be eligible to run for one more four-year term. If elected, he would be in charge until 2031 until he would be forced to step down.
Who could challenge or replace Gianni Infantino?
There is no guarantee that Gianni Infantino is forced to step down. A vote of no confidence is a strong move for member nations to take, a precedent that many could potentially be afraid to set.
If Infantino survives that, there's also no guarantee that he is voted out in the March 2027 election. The current president has always held strong support from the African confederation, who hold 54 member nations, a strong voting bloc. If he can figure out how to fracture the remaining confederations, or the rest of the voting community is unable to unite behind one candidate, then Infantino could survive to serve another four-year term.
Here are the candidates that could stand to challenge Infantino's position, who will make their pleas to the rest of the football world in the hopes of forming a united front against Infantino's station.
Victor Montagliani
The main frontrunner to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency, either upon Infantino's potential dismissal or in March at the upcoming FIFA presidential election, is current CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani.
The 60-year-old Canadian has risen through the ranks as a football executive, first serving as president of the British Columbia Soccer Association in 2005, before being voted as president of the Canadian Soccer Association in 2012. In that role, he led the host nation at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and oversaw the genesis of the Canadian Premier League. He won election as president of CONCACAF in 2016, replacing the disgraced Alfredo Hawit, where he has served ever since.
It has been understood for years that Montagliani has harbored dreams of serving as FIFA president, but he has also positioned himself as a staunch Infantino ally. However, with the current climate turning on Infantino, Montagliani has now come out as a leading contender to challenge for the position.
A report by Reuters on July 31 claimed that Montagliani was "making moves" to run for the presidency, and on August 1 CONCACAF released a scathing statement attacking Infantino for his FFE plan.
"A proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident," CONCACAF said in their statement. "It is a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first. This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour. A comprehensive reckoning with this presidency is imperative."
Montagliani would be a strong candidate to challenge Infantino. With much of the football world trepidatious of European dominance in football, Montagliani would represent a non-European voice that opposes Infantino, something much of the community would be able to unite behind if they wished to make such a move.
Mattias Grafstrom
The current FIFA secretary general is reportedly highly regarded amongst football executives around the world, and is considered by UEFA powers to be "untainted" by the current scandal involving Gianni Infantino.
The 45-year-old Swede has been in his current position since December of 2023, having risen through the ranks at FIFA, first as Infantino's chief of staff, elevated to Deputy Secretary General in 2019, and then as Secretary General after Fatma Samoura stepped down.
A report by Ben Jacobs of Talksport indicated that Grafstrom was be a "popular option" amongst UEFA voters, and states that Grafstrom was "totally blindsided" by Infantino's proposed FFE project. If Infantino resigns, Grafstrom could take over on an interim basis until the scheduled March presidential election, at which point he could consider running for office in full.
Sheikh Salman
Another non-European voice that FIFA powers could potentially unite behind is AFC president Sheikh Salmon bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
Also 60 years old, Bahrain-born Sheikh Salmon has been in charge of the Asian confederation since 2013, elevated from the presidency of the Bahrain FA.
FIFA member associations are extremely familiar with Salmon and his platforms, as he ran against Gianni Infantino in 2016, losing the vote for FIFA president narrowly, 115-88. Despite this defeat, Salmon was elevated to Senior Vice President of FIFA by Infantino in 2018, where he has been in place since.
Sheikh Salmon has not yet announced his intention to run against Infantino again, but his name has been floated several times given his history in the federation, his experience running a FIFA presidential campaign, and his presence as a non-European figure who could potentially unite the organisation against Infantino should he decide to stand.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi
Despite never having held a position within FIFA, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has risen to a position of prominence in global football. He was tabbed by ESPN as the seventh-most influential figure in global football in 2015, and has only grown his power further as PSG continue to establish themselves as a football force having won the last two Champions League titles.
Hailing from Qatar, the 52-year-old has served as chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) since 2011, leading the sovereign wealth fund which had acquired PSG earlier that year. During his time in charge of the club, Al-Khelaifi has gained a reputation for being a strong leader who has built a self-working sporting structure at the club.
Al-Khelaifi would be an extremely strong candidate, given his power and influence in Europe but being from an Asian nation, he could be an individual who could unite the voting blocs of multiple confederations, seen as an unbiased figure with varied interests.
However, his spokesperson indicated on July 29 that Al-Khelaifi has "no interest" in running for the position, so he is unlikely to stand for election unless he is convinced otherwise.
Aleksander Ceferin
Aleksander Ceferin, the president of UEFA, has taken an extremely hardline stance against Gianni Infantino's regime for years.
Hailing from Slovenia, Ceferin was voted in as the seventh president of UEFA in 2016, replacing Michel Platini who exited in disgrace on suspicion of corruption. During his time in charge of the European governing body, Ceferin has repeatedly opposed Infantino and FIFA, especially World Cup expansion which he called "a bad idea." He has also opposed European leagues holding competitive matches overseas, spoken out against the reversal of Folarin Balogun's red card at the 2026 World Cup, and led UEFA's strong, united front against Infantino's FFE deal.
While that aggression has served Ceferin well in charge of UEFA, it is likely working against him in any effort to run for FIFA presidency. Europe's dominance throughout the world of football has made other confederations wary of the continent's influence in the game, and it would be extremely difficult to gather enough votes for such an outspoken European president in the current FIFA climate.