FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed in April 2026 that he will stand for re-election in March 2027, seeking a fourth and final term leading world football’s governing body [1, 2, 3]. The election is scheduled for March 2027, with candidate nominations due by November 18, 2026 [4, 5, 6]. Infantino, 56, must secure a simple majority of votes from FIFA’s 211 member associations to win re-election [4, 5].
Infantino faced intense backlash after unveiling plans in July 2026 to sell a 20% stake in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors [2, 4, 3, 5]. The proposal sparked global condemnation and calls for his resignation, led by European football’s governing body UEFA [1, 4, 3, 7, 5, 6]. UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, but withdrew its boycott threat in late August 2026 ahead of the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland [1, 8, 3, 5, 6].
Beyond UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF also called for Infantino’s resignation, while the African and South American confederations, along with Saudi Arabia (the 2034 World Cup host), continue to back him [2, 4, 3, 7, 5]. UEFA has filed requests for disclosure of documents related to the aborted investment plan in the U.S. and plans to launch a legal complaint in Switzerland alleging possible criminal mismanagement [3, 5, 6].
During the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland in early September, Infantino declined to directly address his future or re-election bid, saying, "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." [2, 9, 10, 3, 5] [10]
No formal challenger has yet declared a bid for the 2027 FIFA presidency election, though Victor Montagliani, CONCACAF president and FIFA vice-president, is widely seen as a likely contender [2, 9, 4, 8, 7, 5]. The election deadline for candidate nominations is November 18, 2026 [4, 5, 6].
Infantino’s eligibility for a fourth term follows a 2022 rule change that effectively extended the previous three-term limit for FIFA presidents [10]. The March 2027 vote will decide whether he maintains his position amid ongoing controversy and opposition within parts of the football world [1, 2, 4, 3, 5].
