New Zealand Football (NZF) announced on August 14 it has withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s bid for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress next year due to concerns about trust and governance within FIFA [1, 2, 3]. NZF called for an independent review of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project to restore confidence, stating, "Decisions and actions within FIFA have contributed to a breakdown in trust and increased division," and that a transparent, external investigation is necessary [1].
The FFE scheme involved a $20 million grant for member associations in the next funding cycle, potentially doubled if they signed the deal [1, 3]. Infantino’s leadership recently withdrew the FFE proposal following criticism and a crisis meeting held by FIFA in Morocco a week before August 14, where FIFA apologized to its 211 member associations for mistakes in handling the proposal [1, 3].
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), representing 11 full member nations including New Zealand—the only OFC team qualified for the 2026 World Cup—expressed cautious support of FIFA's decision to withdraw the FFE and review the issues around it [1, 2, 3]. The OFC's Executive Committee welcomed FIFA’s commitment to investigate the project further [1].
NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said, "We've called for an independent review specifically because what we don't want to see is a sort of in-house quick washover of this. An independent review... will help restore some of the trust" [2]. NZF also urged all FIFA members to push for stronger governance and accountability within the organization [2].
Infantino faces growing loss of support from major confederations UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF due to his aborted plan to sell 20% of World Cup commercial rights to private investors [1, 2, 3]. However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and South America’s Conmebol continue backing him for a fourth term [2]. FIFA leadership maintains its full support for Infantino despite the controversy [1, 3].
On August 12, the OFC held a meeting to discuss the private investment plan before publicly welcoming FIFA's withdrawal of the FFE bid on August 14 [1, 3]. New Zealand Football’s announcement the same day marked a rare open break from the FIFA president among Oceanian members. [1, 2, 3]
FIFA is scheduled to conduct its official review of the FIFA Forward Enterprise project in the coming weeks as calls grow for improved governance ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where New Zealand will represent Oceania in the global tournament [1, 2, 3].
