In the corridors of European football, with the FIFA presidential deadline approaching, UEFA is weighing whether Michele Kang or Lise Klaveness could become the figurehead for a united challenge to Gianni Infantino.
Neither woman has been formally confirmed as a candidate, but both have emerged as possible alternatives as opposition groups seek a credible route to prevent Infantino securing another term. A successful bid would also bring the prospect of FIFA having its first female president.
Quick facts
- FIFA candidatures must be filed by Wednesday, 18 November.
- Each contender requires written backing from at least five FIFA member associations.
- The election is scheduled for 18 March 2027 at the FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco.
- Michele Kang owns Washington Spirit, London City Lionesses and Olympique Lyonnais.
- Lise Klaveness has led the Norwegian Football Federation since 2022.
Kang, a South Korean-American investor and businesswoman, has concentrated heavily on the women’s game since 2020. She became majority shareholder of Washington Spirit in 2022, added London City Lionesses and Olympique Lyonnais to her portfolio in 2024, and was appointed president of Lyon in June 2025.
Her work in women’s football could help satisfy FIFA’s requirement that candidates have taken an active role in the game for at least two of the five years before an election. Yet her ownership of several clubs may create questions over potential conflicts of interest.
Klaveness offers a different profile: a former Norway international and a prominent critic of FIFA’s leadership. She challenged the staging of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar over reports concerning the treatment of migrant workers, and has more recently criticised Saudi Arabia’s selection as host of the 2034 finals.
Trained as a lawyer and serving as a deputy judge at Oslo District Court, Klaveness joined the Norwegian Football Federation as director of elite football in 2018. Four years later she became its president, the first woman to hold the post in the federation’s 120-year history.
Klaveness, who is openly lesbian and married to former player Ingrid Camilla Fosse Sæthre, has consistently spoken for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in football. Before the 2026 World Cup, she called for an investigation into Israel over attacks in Gaza, while in April she demanded the abolition of FIFA’s Peace Prize after Infantino presented it to Donald Trump.
Other names around the contest
Victor Montagliani, president of Concacaf, has previously been mentioned as a possible challenger, although his focus appears to be on retaining his own confederation role. Sheikh Salman, head of the Asian Football Confederation, and Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein have also been discussed.
Within Europe, Arsène Wenger’s name has circulated, despite his current position as FIFA’s chief of global football development. There has also been talk of an as-yet unidentified candidate entering late in the process.
Aleksander Čeferin is not expected to run. The UEFA president is understood to be focused on remaining at the head of European football, leaving Kang and Klaveness as the two women most prominently considered for a UEFA-backed challenge from the continent.
