Gianni Infantino has a re-election fight on his hands, but the geography of that fight is already narrowing. In April, South American governing body CONMEBOL became the first major confederation to formally endorse Infantino for a fourth term covering 2027-2031, rather than merely refrain from opposing him.
That backing has held through the row that hit FIFA at the start of August. CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez reaffirmed the position on 8 August in Cali, where he attended the inauguration of Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella alongside the FIFA boss.
Dominguez told reporters Infantino’s record could not be dismissed.
“One cannot ignore the great work done by Infantino. We must continue working for football through dialogue; it is not necessary to always agree.”
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The Swiss has led FIFA since he replaced Sepp Blatter in 2016, and was returned unopposed in 2019 and 2023. A fourth term at the March 2027 Congress in Rabat would take him to the maximum permitted by FIFA statutes.
CAF reconfirms on 6 August
On 6 August, the Confederation of African Football’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to reconfirm its backing of Infantino. CAF accounts for 54 of FIFA’s 211 member associations.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe was unambiguous.
“He’s not just a good friend. He’s a loyal friend. He’s loyal to Africa.”
UEFA served a legal notice instead
Europe’s response has moved from criticism to litigation. On 30 July, UEFA’s 55 member associations voted unanimously to boycott FIFA competitions until Infantino’s proposal to sell part of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors was withdrawn. FIFA pulled the Forward Enterprise plan on 1 August.
The boycott has not lifted. UEFA has confirmed it served FIFA with a legal evidence preservation notice covering 18 executives, including Infantino and head of global football development Arsène Wenger.
UEFA said the withdrawal of the plan changed little.
“The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun.”
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On 6 August, the English Football Association joined Wales in formally withdrawing support for Infantino’s re-election. UEFA has said it has “lost confidence” in his presidency and restated that the boycott stands.
Individual associations, not blocs
None of that decides the election. The FIFA Congress runs on one member, one vote. Each of the 211 associations casts its own ballot, and confederations do not deliver their members. CONMEBOL’s endorsement is a political signal to South America’s ten associations, not a locked-in stack of votes; the same is true of CAF’s backing and of UEFA’s opposition.
The signal still matters. Nominations for the FIFA presidency close on 18 November, four months before the vote in Rabat.
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