FIFA Confirms Infantino Will Run in Presidential Election, Seeks Re-election

Beijing time September 7 news: FIFA confirmed again yesterday that Infantino will participate in the presidential election scheduled for March 2027 and is committed to completing his final term, with this plan unchanged.

According to BBC Sport, FIFA said in a statement: "The FIFA President expressed in April his intention to run again in the 2027 presidential election. Of course, this situation has not changed. Mr. Infantino will stand as a candidate with the aim of seeking re-election."

The future of President Infantino has remained uncertain since issues surrounding FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) emerged after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

Organizations including UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football have issued strong criticism of President Infantino, while some national football associations have also said they do not support his re-election. His path to re-election is expected to be more difficult than before in this presidential election.

So far, no one has officially announced that they will challenge Infantino as an opponent in the next presidential election. However, there is still time before the candidacy deadline, and potential challengers may emerge in the future.

Candidates rumored to be considering a run currently include CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani and AFC President Sheikh Salman, among others.

Meanwhile, UEFA President Ceferin has made it clear that he has no intention of running. In addition, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has denied having interest in the FIFA presidency.

The next FIFA presidential election is expected to be held on March 18, 2027, during the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco. Infantino has expressed his intention to run for re-election, and according to FIFA regulations, if he is successfully re-elected, this will be his final term. The FIFA president's term is four years per cycle, with a maximum of three consecutive terms.

Since the controversy surrounding the FFE plan — which involves establishing a new company responsible for managing FIFA event commercial rights and selling up to 20% of its shares to external investors — emerged, questions over whether Infantino, as the head of world football's governing body, remains suitable for the role have faced intense scrutiny.

Although the 2026 World Cup achieved commercial success, calls questioning whether Infantino remains suitable to continue leading football have continued. Some views have also suggested that FIFA's current organizational structure itself is no longer functioning effectively in implementing proper governance.