The president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, who has been leading world football for ten years, announced on Thursday in Vancouver that he would be a candidate for re-election in 2027.
Elected in 2016, re-elected in 2019 and 2023, the 56-year-old Italo-Swiss took advantage of the Fifa Congress to “confirm,” he said, that he would indeed be a candidate, as certain considerations had already pledged their support. Infantino declared this six weeks before the first World Cup featuring 48 countries co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
According to Fifa’s statutes, the head of the organization cannot serve more than three terms. However, it was officially stated during the elective congress held in 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda, that he was starting his second mandate, as his first one began in 2016 following the ousting of his predecessor Sepp Blatter due to corruption charges, which was deemed “incomplete” and not counted in the limitation.
Many Supports
The African Football Confederation (CAF) and the Asian Confederation (AFC) announced on Thursday their support for his re-election, giving him a total of 101 votes out of 211. Infantino already had the 10 votes from South America (each national member association, regardless of size, has one vote at Fifa).
Leading world football since 2016, Infantino has faced numerous controversies, especially in recent months due to his close ties with US President Donald Trump, who he awarded the first Fifa Peace Prize. The awarding of this distinction in December 2025 led the FairSquare association to file a complaint with Fifa’s ethics committee.
The leader has also faced criticism for expanding the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, which will take effect from the 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico, and Canada (June 11th – July 19th). However, his proposal to hold the World Cup every two years instead of four has failed.
Infantino can, however, boast significantly increasing Fifa’s revenue, which is estimated at $13 billion at the end of the current four-year cycle ending after the 2026 World Cup.
For the 2027-2030 cycle, Fifa has also committed to distributing around $2.7 billion to its members, eight times more than a decade ago, through its Fifa Forward program.
