Aleksander Čeferin, President of UEFA, has ruled out running for the FIFA presidency himself, but he placed Gianni Infantino in a far more difficult position after confirming that the current incumbent will inevitably face a challenger if he insists on contesting the upcoming elections.
Čeferin’s comments came during an interview on The Rest Is Politics: Leading podcast, amid escalating pressure on Infantino to step down following the expansion of his dispute with Europe into a broader front that includes the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), CONCACAF, and a growing number of national associations.
The backlash erupted over Infantino’s proposal to create a commercial arm and sell a 20% stake in FIFA tournament rights—chiefly the World Cup—to private investors. Although the plan was withdrawn, the three confederations accused him of “deception” and demanded an independent investigation. Furthermore, European associations withdrew their backing, with the six Nordic nations declaring they had “lost trust” in his leadership.
“He has two choices,” Čeferin stated. “The first is to realize he lacks support—not just political support from voting members, but from the football community, fans, players, former players, and managers.” He added: “The second choice is to proceed to the March election, in which case I believe he will face a rival candidate, though I do not know who that will be yet.”
Explaining his decision to stay out of the race, Čeferin clarified: “I am not interested for two reasons: first, I love UEFA and enjoy my work here, and I believe it is time to enjoy life a bit more; second, my credibility is far greater when I have no personal interest in the position.”
Victor Montagliani, the Canadian President of CONCACAF, has emerged as the strongest alternative alongside Poland’s Dariusz Mioduski. The names of Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim have also circulated, though Al-Khelaifi has shown no desire to stand.
The election for the FIFA presidency will take place during the 77th FIFA Congress on March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco, with candidate registrations closing on November 18, 2026. While Infantino retains the backing of CAF, CONMEBOL, and several Arab and Asian associations, his path toward securing a new term through 2031 is now far from an uncontested victory.
