Infantino’s presidency under threat: FIFA elections, challengers, dates

Amid waning support and growing criticism, the FIFA chief looks to hold onto his powerful position in world football. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, currently the most powerful man in world football, appears to be pulling out all the stops in a bid to retain his position despite growing calls for his ouster and wide-ranging disapproval of his plans. The 56-year-old has been in charge of FIFA for over 10 years and is seen as a divisive figure in international football, with his close ties to some of the most powerful global leaders and plans for maximising revenue from football viewed as a threat to the game. With a little over six months until the next round of elections for FIFA’s presidency, Infantino appears to be losing ground among his usual backers in national football federations and regional confederations. The FIFA chief first met Trump at the White House in 2018 after the US was awarded the co-hosting rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Scoop News DeskUnited States · Published Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 3:42 PM UTCUpdated Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 2:07 PM UTC

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The move was seen as an attempt to seek support from the regional football officials, but a FIFA statement quoted Infantino as saying: “It’s important to engage, to have a dialogue, to express views and opinions – a lot [has] been happening in the last few weeks and it’s important that you hear, you listen and you’re able to, also, express what your feelings are.” Infantino’s latest public appearance was in France on Monday, where he attended the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup at the Grand Palais in Paris and was seated besides French President Emmanuel Macron and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman.

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