From Zurich to Rabat, the next stage of football’s institutional politics is beginning to take shape. FIFA’s presidential race has a decisive date on 18 November, when the window closes for candidates to enter the election that will determine who leads world football’s governing body for the following four years.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president since 2016, is so far the only figure to state publicly that he intends to stand. Should no rival submit a candidacy by the November deadline, he would be returned unopposed at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress in Rabat on 18 March 2027.
A contest remains possible, particularly after the recent dispute over FIFA’s plan to sell part of the commercial rights linked to World Cups to outside investors. The proposal was put on hold after significant resistance from within the six continental confederations. UEFA has emerged as the most forceful opponent in that debate and is the confederation most likely to support, or potentially put forward, an alternative candidate.
The arithmetic across the confederations
If another contender does enter the race, all 211 national associations would vote at the congress in Morocco. Infantino is understood to have strong support across the global game, with close to 160 associations currently expected to favour his continuation. That would amount to roughly three quarters of the available vote.
Europe’s position will nevertheless matter greatly. UEFA has 55 member associations represented within FIFA, making it the largest continental bloc. Africa follows closely through CAF, whose 54 associations could prove central in any contested election, while CONCACAF brings 41 representatives from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
- UEFA: 55 associations
- CAF: 54 associations
- AFC: 47 associations
- CONCACAF: 41 associations
- OFC: 11 associations
- CONMEBOL: 10 associations
The months before November will therefore reveal whether the unease around FIFA’s commercial direction develops into an organised presidential challenge. For now, the numbers point towards continuity, but the road from Zurich’s boardrooms to the congress hall in Rabat may still carry a European response.
