Gianni Infantino’s position as FIFA president looks precarious after a PR nightmare of a week.
The world governing body’s announcement of plans to bring private investors on board to help run FIFA competitions – including both World Cups – has been met with outrage, derision, and promises of boycotts from both UEFA and CONCACAF, with the AFC also expressing their opposition to the plans.
Nobody quite knows what happens next from here, but Infantino’s position looks to be under threat. So who are the potential contenders for the presidency if Infantino is either forced out, or opposed in next year’s FIFA elections?
Aleksander Ceferin
UEFA president since 2016, Aleksander Ceferin has barely made a secret of his feelings towards the way FIFA has operated under Infaninto.
Between UEFA announcing their Euro 2028 ticket price policy on the eve of the World Cup and organising a continent-wide threat of boycotting FIFA tournaments in the event FFE goes through, Ceferin has positioned himself as a potential antidote to Infantino’s ills.
The question is whether he wants it. Although he now seems to have walked back on this, Ceferin announced in 2024 that he would not seek to run again to be UEFA president in 2027, saying: “The reason is that after some time every organisation needs fresh blood, but mainly because I was away from my family for seven years now.”
Or perhaps he sensed the time might be just right for a FIFA presidency bid?
Nasser Al-Khelaifi
Nasser Al-Khelaifi already wields considerable influence within the game through his role as PSG president, the chair of European Football Clubs (the former G-14), and head of broadcaster BeIN.
Understandably, then, the mover and shaker has been touted as a potential candidate who already has connections across Europe and the Arab world.
However, the Qatari government official may not represent quite the kind of break from the Infantino regime that some might like.
More to the point, his people have previously denied he is interested in running. He may end up being more of a powerbroker than the obvious heir to the throne… and how might he get his backing? Well…
Dariusz Mioduski
A left-field shout from Eastern Europe, talkSPORT reported earlier this month that Legia Warsaw chairman Dariusz Mioduski has supporters in several UEFA countries.
The potential difficulty is whether that would also translate to wider support among the other confederations, who – reasonably enough, we guess – tend to operate on a “what are you going to do for us?” basis.
But it’s good to have friends in the right places, and Mioduski might also be able to call on the support of Al-Khelaifi, to whom he serves as vice-chair of EFC.
Victor Montagliani
Victor Montagliani has been talked about as a potential Infantino successor for some time – it just might come about sooner than expected.
The Canadian became a familiar face around the world during the World Cup, where he was frequently seen among the FIFA suits.
Montagliani was a key player in that tournament being held across the three North American nations, and has acted as president of CONCACAF for the past decade.
Confederations who may be wary of a European FIFA critic could be drawn to Montagliani, who is well-used to looking after the interests of federations outside the very elite in the world pecking order. If he can get UEFA on board with a potential coup, that could be enough to tip the scales in his favour.