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FIFA President Gianni Infantino will seek re-election in March 2027, despite criticism over his now-abandoned plan to attract private investment into the World Cup, football’s global governing body has confirmed.
A FIFA spokesperson said Infantino had already announced in April that he would contest the election and that there had been no change to his plans.
“The FIFA President announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027,” a FIFA spokesperson said.
“Of course, nothing has changed. Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election.”
The 56-year-old Swiss has faced mounting criticism since details of his FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal to bring private investment into FIFA events emerged in late July.
FIFA’s latest confirmation is the first since the proposal became public that Infantino will contest the election for a fourth and final term. If re-elected, he would remain FIFA president until 2031.
Infantino is currently in Poland for the Women’s Under-20 World Cup but declined to discuss his political future when questioned by journalists on Saturday.
UEFA has accused Infantino of “criminal mismanagement” over the FFE plan and led opposition to the proposal, including threatening to boycott FIFA competitions, such as the men’s and women’s World Cups, if the scheme was not abandoned.
The plan has, however, received support from Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is widely regarded as the most likely challenger to Infantino, while UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out of the race.
Montagliani, who is also a FIFA vice-president, had previously been considered a close ally of Infantino. However, differences over FIFA’s role and the proposed private investment scheme have become more apparent, particularly after Montagliani distanced himself from the abandoned plan.
Infantino continues to have backing from several football confederations and countries. Saudi Arabia, host of the 2034 World Cup, supported him last month, while the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and South American football body CONMEBOL have also backed his position.
Infantino is currently the only declared candidate for the March 2027 election. He needs a simple majority of votes from FIFA’s 211 member associations to secure another term.
His current tenure began in 2016 and was renewed in 2023.
Candidates for the presidency must submit their nominations by November 18.
