--- title: "Infantino Stays in the Game: FIFA Confirms His Candidacy for the 2027 Elections After World Cup Rights Sale Scandal" description: "FIFA has confirmed that Infantino will run for the post of president in 2027, despite the scandal over the sale of World Cup rights and pressure from UEFA. The name of the alternative candidate has not yet been announced." date: 2026-09-07T06:44:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/fifa-confirms-infantino-2027-elections-after-world-cup-rights-scandal tags: [fifa, infantino, world-cup, uefa, election-2027, football-governance] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Infantino Stays in the Game: FIFA Confirms His Candidacy for the 2027 Elections After World Cup Rights Sale Scandal ![Gianni Infantino applauding with FIFA volunteers amid news of his 2027 election participation](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/07/fifa-podtverdila-vybory-infantino-2027-posle-skandala/fifa-podtverdila-vybory-infantino-2027-posle-skandala-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - FIFA has officially confirmed that Gianni Infantino will take part in the 2027 presidential elections - The crisis was triggered by an attempt to sell commercial World Cup rights to private investors; the project was subsequently withdrawn - UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF are preparing an alternative candidate, whose name has not been disclosed - Application deadline — 18 November 2026; elections — 18 March 2027 at the Congress in Rabat (Morocco) 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](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/fifa-zrobili-zayavu-vibori-infantino-pislya-1788763273.html). ### 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. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [FIFA Issues Statement on Infantino's Elections After the High-Profile World Cup Scandal](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/fifa-zrobili-zayavu-vibori-infantino-pislya-1788763273.html) - Основной источник: цитата спикера ФИФА, описание скандала с продажей прав, сроки выборов и конгресса в Рабате. - [FIFA Confirms That Infantino Will Take Part in the 2027 Elections](https://tass.ru/sport/28084849) - Независимое подтверждение факта заявления ФИФА о намерении Инфантино баллотироваться. - [FIFA Head Gianni Infantino Runs for a New Term](https://www.inform.kz/ru/glava-fifa-dzhanni-infantino-ballotiruetsya-nanoviy-srok-b4c8ce87) - Согласующий источник: подтверждение намерений и контекст давления конфедераций. - [“Nothing Has Changed”: Infantino Runs Again Despite the Setback and UEFA Pressure](https://wek.ru/nichego-ne-izmenilos-infantino-snova-ballotiruetsya-nesmotrya-na-proval-i-davlenie-uefa) - Дополнительный контекст: цитата спикера, описание коалиции УЕФА/АФК/КОНКАКАФ и дедлайны. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: When will the FIFA presidential elections take place? **A:** The elections will be held on 18 March 2027 at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat (Morocco). The deadline for submitting applications to participate is 18 November 2026. ### Q: Why did the conflict between FIFA and the continental confederations arise? **A:** The cause was FIFA's attempt to sell part of the commercial rights to the World Cup to external private investors. The initiative was withdrawn under pressure, and Infantino publicly acknowledged the mistakes, but the confederations' trust has not been restored. ### Q: Does Infantino have any rivals in the 2027 elections? **A:** As of September 2026, Infantino remains the only officially registered candidate. However, UEFA, together with AFC and CONCACAF, is preparing an alternative contender whose name has not yet been announced. ### Q: How long has Infantino been heading FIFA? **A:** Gianni Infantino has held the post of FIFA president since 2016, that is, for more than ten years.