Astana is set to become one of the decisive stops on football’s 2027 calendar, with UEFA’s 50th Ordinary Congress due to choose a successor to Alexander Ceferin and reshape Europe’s representation within FIFA.
The gathering in the Kazakh capital will follow closely after FIFA’s presidential election on 18 March. Gianni Infantino, the Swiss incumbent, is currently the only declared candidate for another four-year term, amid continuing controversy around his leadership.
Quick facts
- FIFA will elect its president for the next four years on 18 March 2027.
- Gianni Infantino is the sole declared candidate so far; nominations close on 18 November.
- UEFA’s 50th Ordinary Congress in Astana will elect a new president, eight Executive Committee members and four European FIFA Council representatives.
- UEFA presidential nominations must be filed by midnight on 22 January and require backing from at least three member associations.
- Executive Committee candidates must be submitted by 22 February.
Ceferin said in 2024 that he would not seek another term after 11 years in charge of European football. His departure opens a contest in which UEFA’s member associations may nominate a presidential candidate from outside their own federation.
Any contender, however, must secure support from at least three national associations before entering the race. The new UEFA president will serve a four-year mandate.
The Congress will also fill eight places on UEFA’s Executive Committee. At least one of those positions must go to a woman, while no national association may have more than one candidate in the election.
Those seeking Executive Committee office must be serving as either president or vice-president of their home federation. Spain’s Rafael Louzan is among the current members whose future candidacy remains unclear.
The present UEFA vice-presidents include Denmark’s Jesper Christensen, Albania’s Armand Duka and Wales’ Laura McAllister. Louzan sits on the committee alongside Czech official Petr Fousek, Georgia’s Levan Kobiashvili and Israel’s Moshe Zuares.
Europe’s seats on the FIFA Council will also be decided in Astana. The Congress will elect three FIFA vice-presidents for four-year terms, including one candidate put forward by the four British associations, as well as one ordinary member.
With FIFA’s presidency settled in March and UEFA’s leadership soon afterwards, 2027 will bring an unusually concentrated season of institutional change for the international game.
