Cape Verde will become a meeting point for African football’s political and sporting agenda in October, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino invited to join a two-day Confederation of African Football strategy conference as support builds for his 2027 re-election bid.
CAF has called the presidents of all 54 African member associations to gather on 7 and 8 October. The proposal has been raised on several occasions by CAF president Patrice Motsepe, the South African mining businessman whose close relationship with Infantino has become increasingly important as resistance to the FIFA leader grows elsewhere in the game.
The conference agenda is due to be circulated to the member federations later. Its timing places the Cape Verde meeting within a wider contest for influence ahead of FIFA’s presidential election in Rabat next March.
African backing carries weight before Rabat vote
Infantino, 56, has confirmed he will seek another term at the head of FIFA. No challenger has yet declared, although UEFA has said it is looking for a credible candidate to oppose the Swiss official.
Africa’s 54 votes represent a substantial bloc among FIFA’s 211 voting member associations. CAF’s executive committee endorsed Infantino last month, and several African federations have separately indicated their backing.
That show of unity is notable because African voting has not always moved in one direction at previous FIFA elections. This time, CAF’s position differs sharply from the criticism directed at Infantino by other confederations.
The dispute intensified after his proposal to sell as much as 20% of FIFA competition interests, including the World Cup, to private investors failed to gain support. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF opposed the plan and have called for a change in FIFA’s leadership. CAF did not object to the proposal and has since reinforced its support for Infantino.
World Cup review follows strategy gathering
Cape Verde’s programme will continue on 9 October with an assessment of the 2026 World Cup. National-team coaches from every African federation have been invited to take part in the session, which will be led by Arsène Wenger.
The former Arsenal manager is now FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development. The review is expected to examine the tournament’s footballing and operational lessons, including tactical developments, refereeing, logistics and other match-related matters.
FIFA has staged similar post-World Cup reviews on every continent since the 2010 finals in South Africa. For CAF, the October dates offer both a technical look at the next World Cup cycle and a significant opportunity to demonstrate where the continent stands before football’s next presidential vote.
