Gianni Infantino On Course For 4th Term As FIFA President With Backing From Asia And Africa

Last Updated:May 01, 2026, 11:54 IST

CAF, AFC and CONMEBOL back Gianni Infantino for re-election as FIFA president in 2027, giving him strong support ahead of the Morocco vote and a likely fourth term.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino received a major boost in his bid for another term after both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) publicly pledged their support ahead of the 2027 election.

Infantino confirmed during FIFA’s Congress in Vancouver that he intends to stand again for the 2027–2031 cycle. The election is scheduled to take place in Morocco on 18 March, with the country also preparing to co-host the 2030 World Cup.

Why Asia And Africa Support Gianni Infantino?

CAF announced that it had “unanimously agreed" to support Infantino, while AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa reaffirmed Asia’s backing.

“FIFA is in its best position ever and we offer our continued and full support to (Infantino) as a candidate for FIFA President for the term 2027-2031, just as the AFC and Asian football has always supported him since his election in 2016," Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement.

Together, the African and Asian confederations account for 101 votes out of FIFA’s 211 member associations. Earlier this month, CONMEBOL also declared unanimous support for Infantino, further strengthening his position.

Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled" to have the chance to run for a fourth term.

Gianni Infantino’s Performance As FIFA President?

The Italian-Swiss administrator first took office in 2016 following the departure of Sepp Blatter and has since overseen major structural and commercial changes in global football. During his tenure, FIFA has expanded the men’s World Cup to 48 teams and increased the size of the women’s tournament, while also launching a revamped 32-team Club World Cup.

Although his leadership has drawn criticism over issues such as ticket pricing and his relationship with Donald Trump, FIFA has also recorded significant financial growth under Infantino. The organisation expects this year’s World Cup to generate record revenues, while funding distributed through the FIFA Forward Programme has increased dramatically.

With strong backing from multiple confederations and no major challenger yet emerging, Infantino appears firmly positioned ahead of the next FIFA presidential election.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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