NEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters) – FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces an uphill battle in his re-election bid as the national soccer federations of Serbia, Sweden and Wales withdrew their support after a failed proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
The following figures have emerged as potential candidates to replace Infantino for the term running from 2027 through 2031. The vote is scheduled to take place in Morocco on March 18.
CONCACAF PRESIDENT VICTOR MONTAGLIANI
North American football chief and Canadian businessman Victor Montagliani is considering challenging Infantino for the FIFA presidency, according to a report on Friday.
CONCACAF rejected Infantino’s private equity proposal but stopped short of calling for an outright boycott as UEFA did. The 2026 World Cup was the first time the tournament was played on CONCACAF’s soil since 1994.
UEFA PRESIDENT ALEKSANDER CEFERIN
Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final last month after a series of disagreements between UEFA and FIFA, and the European football governing body emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Infantino in a bruising week for the global soccer boss.
AFC PRESIDENT SALMAN BIN IBRAHIM AL KHALIFA
A senior vice president on the FIFA Council, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa from Bahrain is among those who have opposed expanding the World Cup to 64 teams.
The AFC took a jab at Infantino in its opposition to the FIFA boss’ private equity proposal, saying the plan “has exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA’s consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed.”
PARIS ST GERMAIN PRESIDENT NASSER AL-KHELAIFI
European soccer officials are beginning to rally around the Qatari sports executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi as a leading challenger, according to a Politico report last week.
NORWEGIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION PRESIDENT LISE KLAVENESS
One of the most prominent women in global football, Norway’s Lise Klaveness was among the most vocal leaders of the opposition to Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in the World Cup.
Norway previously weighed bringing an ethics complaint to FIFA over the decision to suspend a ban imposed on U.S. forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup after U.S. President Donald Trump’s intervention. The saga brought fresh scrutiny over the relationship between Infantino and the U.S. leader.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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