FIFA President Gianni Infantino chose not to comment on his future during the U-20 Women’s World Cup, which opened September 5 in Katowice, Poland, amid controversy over a scrapped World Cup commercial rights plan [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Infantino, 56, has faced widespread criticism after an aborted attempt to sell World Cup commercial rights through a private equity subsidiary valued at $20 billion [1, 5, 4]. Multiple national football associations have called for his resignation or replacement following the failed deal [1, 2, 3, 4].
Before the tournament, UEFA and other European football federations threatened to boycott the event but backed down after FIFA assured the private equity rights plan would not be revived [1, 5, 2, 3, 4]. FIFA also filed court documents accusing UEFA of a smear campaign related to the aborted plan on September 4, while legal action remains ongoing [5, 4].
At the tournament's opening match between Poland and Argentina, Infantino was seen speaking with Polish football federation president Cezary Kulesza but avoided questions about whether he had considered resigning or would run for re-election in 2027 [1, 5, 2, 3, 4]. He said, "There will be a lot to say, but there will be a right place and a right time to say this. It’s not today, it’s not here, but here and today, we are enjoying football" [1].
Infantino has served as FIFA president since February 26, 2016, with his current term running through 2027. He has announced plans to seek a fourth term to 2031 [1, 2, 3]. He said FIFA continues to work to "give every corner of the world a chance, an opportunity, a dignity, to find ways and means for them to become better and to participate and to celebrate football, which we all love" [1].
The U-20 Women’s World Cup features 24 teams competing in Poland. The next critical event in this controversy will be the 2027 FIFA presidential election.
