FIFA President Gianni Infantino has failed in his plans to bring in investors to inject billions of dollars into the federation's competitions, a failure that threatens his chances of being re-elected as FIFA president
Infantino wants to run for another four-year term during FIFA's general assembly meetings in Morocco next March, and the Swiss reportedly enjoys the support of an overwhelming majority of the international federation's 211 members.
But this situation may now change, as UEFA has declared that it has lost confidence in him, and the Asian Football Confederation and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) have criticized his leadership style of the governing body of football, and there have been calls for his resignation.
Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. There is currently no other candidate, but with some sharp criticism, someone may emerge to challenge him. Applications must be submitted by November 18
In the following lines, we list the potential candidates to compete with Infantino for the presidency of FIFA during the upcoming elections.
The UEFA president is known for his experience in hand-to-hand combat, as Ceferin was previously a karate player, and the Slovenian lawyer likes to present himself as the antithesis of Gianni Infantino, although he has strongly defended the commercial orientation of European football's governing body.
As his term as UEFA president drew to a close, and because he would not be running again in 2027, Ceferin organized a European protest against his FIFA rival, saying at the beginning of 2024: "After a certain period, every organization needs new blood... Does this apply to him (Infantino) and to FIFA as well?"
The idea of holding the World Cup every two years, which Infantino proposed in 2021, has not been ruled out, with Qatari Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of the European Club Association, stating that he is open to discussion.
Al-Khelaifi, who has been president of French club Paris Saint-Germain since 2011 and is a board member of the sports and entertainment network "beIN", has announced that he does not wish to take over as FIFA president. He is currently a member of UEFA's executive committee and a close ally of Ceferin
Born to a Swedish father and a Dutch mother, he was the Swiss junior table tennis champion. Mattias Grafström built his career as a football administrator and was officially appointed FIFA Secretary General in 2024, following a transitional period, succeeding Senegalese Fatma Samoura.
Grafström is close to Gianni Infantino, but according to media reports, he is said to see an opportunity to take over the top job in the world of football.
The World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico was the tournament he hosted. Victor Montagliani was born in Vancouver, Canada, and became president of the Canadian Soccer Association in 2012.
Jeffrey Webb in a FIFA corruption scandal in 2015, a great opportunity arose for Montagliani, who has coaching legend Carlo Ancelotti among his close associates, to take on a bigger position, becoming president of the continental federation since 2016.
It is noted that the CONCACAF federation, led by Montagliani, announced its unanimous rejection of Infantino's investment plans.
Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa previously competed against Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency in 2016, but the Bahraini official lost by a narrow margin in the FIFA presidential election.
Al Khalifa faced accusations of corruption and human rights abuses at the time, and the Asian Football Confederation, which Al Khalifa heads, rejected Infantino's investment plans. The president of the continental federation stressed the need for collective dialogue and respect for the existing leadership.
