UEFA and its allies are expected to settle on their challenger within days, pushing right up against the FIFA deadline, The Guardian reported on Wednesday. The vote itself is scheduled for 18 March 2027 at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco, whose own federation has already pledged its support to Infantino for the 2027-2031 cycle.

Only Vega has formally declared

The names being passed around in European circles are a mix of the familiar and the disruptive. Reports in October placed Arsène Wenger, the former Arsenal manager who now runs FIFA’s own global football development programme, at the top of a shortlist that also includes Luis Figo, London City Lionesses owner Michele Kang and former Switzerland international Ramon Vega. Of that group, only Vega has formally declared.

Wenger himself has stayed quiet. Asked by the BBC whether he would stand, the Frenchman declined to comment, and senior European officials have indicated to The Guardian that his candidacy is not being seriously pursued, a signal that the shortlist and the actual pick may not match.

David Beckham has entered the conversation separately. Sky Sports Germany, via the Spanish outlet Sport, reported that factions inside UEFA and the German Football Association (DFB) are weighing the Inter Miami co-owner as a disruptive option. DFB president Bernd Neuendorf told the German broadcaster:

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“We remain committed to seeing someone else at the helm of FIFA, and of course, that involves putting forward an alternative candidate.”

Beckham’s own working relationship with Infantino is close. He has fronted FIFA events for years and is credited with helping bring Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, which makes him an awkward pick for a campaign built on dislodging the incumbent.

Infantino offers each federation an extra $15m

The push for a challenger has been building since Infantino unveiled a plan to commercialise FIFA’s showpiece competitions, including the World Cup and the newly expanded Club World Cup. UEFA has written to FIFA with 42 governance questions it wants answered, and senior European officials have told Yahoo Sports they are unhappy both with Infantino’s direction and with the way major decisions are being taken.

Infantino’s counter-move has been financial. Each of FIFA’s 211 member associations is being offered an additional $15m, taking the per-association figure to $25m for the 2027-2031 cycle. That matters because the campaign will be decided one association at a time.

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Čeferin opts for a fourth UEFA term

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has already ruled himself out of a FIFA run. The Slovenian will instead stand for a fourth term at the top of UEFA on 22 April 2027 in Astana, Kazakhstan, a bid made possible only by a 2024 statute change in Paris and one he had previously said he would not pursue.

The arithmetic in Rabat

Any challenger must first secure written support from five of FIFA’s 211 member associations by 18 November to be formally nominated. Winning requires a two-thirds majority in the first round, or a simple majority after that, a threshold of 106 votes with full participation. Confederations do not control how their members vote; each of the 211 associations casts its own ballot.

That leaves UEFA roughly three weeks to put a name on the ballot in Rabat.

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