Berlin has become the setting for a change of direction at the summit of European football. Aleksander Ceferin has indicated that he wants to stand in UEFA’s next presidential election, reversing the position he set out in February 2024.
The Slovenian made his intention known during UEFA’s Top Executive Programme in the German capital, where all 55 member associations have gathered. The vote is scheduled for 22 April in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Quick facts
- Aleksander Ceferin intends to seek re-election as UEFA president.
- The election will take place at UEFA’s 50th Ordinary Congress on 22 April in Astana.
- Formal nominations must be submitted by midnight on 22 January.
- A candidate needs backing from at least three UEFA member associations.
- UEFA’s 55 national associations may nominate candidates, including people outside their own federation.
Ceferin had said at UEFA’s Paris Congress in February 2024 that he would not continue beyond February 2027. At that point, the expectation was that eight years in office would mark the limit of his tenure.
However, the statute change approved at that Paris meeting opened the door for him to seek a fourth term. If elected, the next mandate would run for four years.
There remains time before Ceferin must formally lodge his candidacy. UEFA has informed its member associations that the nomination window closes on 22 January at midnight.
The regulations allow each association to put forward a presidential candidate without requiring that individual to belong to its own federation. Any contender must nevertheless secure endorsements from a minimum of three associations to enter the race.
It is not yet clear whether Ceferin will face an opponent when delegates assemble in the Kazakh capital. The Astana congress will choose UEFA’s president for the following four-year cycle.
No decision has been announced over whether UEFA will put forward an alternative candidate against FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the world governing body’s election on 18 March next year. The deadline for candidates in that contest is 18 November.
