The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has, for the first time since the resonant conflict with the continental confederations, officially confirmed that incumbent president Gianni Infantino intends to run for a new term. As the organization's official spokesperson stated, “the FIFA president announced back in April that he would be standing for re-election in 2027. Of course, nothing has changed. Mr. Infantino will take part in the elections.” Thus, the Swiss official who has headed the organization since 2016 has no intention of leaving his seat, even amid unprecedented pressure from the world's leading football associations. Read more about the circumstances behind the statement on the Sport RBC.UA portal.

Cause of the Crisis: Attempt to Privatize Commercial Rights to the World Cup

The deepest rift between FIFA's leadership and the continental federations was triggered by the initiative to sell part of the commercial rights to the World Cup to external private investors. The project, dubbed “the privatization of the World Cup” within the football community, sparked a wave of outrage: a number of European bodies openly expressed their lack of confidence in Infantino, accusing him of attempting to extract personal gain from assets belonging to all members of the organization. Under mounting pressure, FIFA ultimately abandoned the controversial project, and Infantino himself publicly acknowledged the mistakes. However, according to observers, this proved insufficient to ease the tension: the wave of criticism did not subside but instead evolved into a systematic campaign to find an alternative candidate.

UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF Prepare a “Counter-Argument”

Despite the fact that Infantino is currently the only officially registered candidate for the post of president, his position has noticeably weakened. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), together with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), has already begun preparing an alternative candidate. The specific names of potential rivals to the current head of FIFA have not been disclosed at this time; however, the very fact of a coalition of the three largest confederations — uniting more than 200 national associations — indicates that the 2027 elections could be the most competitive in the organization's history.

Election Calendar: Key Deadlines

The final deadline for submitting applications to run in the FIFA presidential election is set for 18 November 2026. The elections themselves will take place on 18 March 2027 at the organization's 77th Congress, to be held in Rabat (Morocco). By that time, potential candidates will have about two and a half months left to shape their election platforms, gather signatures, and hold consultations with national federations. For Infantino, this means that even a formal confirmation of his intentions does not guarantee victory: if the UEFA–AFC–CONCACAF coalition manages to put forward a consolidated candidate, the contest could prove extremely tight.

Context: The Race to Host the 2030 World Cup and Beyond

Against the backdrop of the internal crisis at FIFA, a parallel battle is unfolding over the right to host future World Cups. It recently became known that Ukraine intends to submit a joint bid to host the World Cup together with Poland. This move, if realized, will become an additional political factor at the Congress in Rabat: voting on the presidential candidate and on tournament hosting bids traditionally takes place within the same decision cycle, which strengthens the interdependence of national federations' positions.