Fifa president Gianni Infantino will stand for re-election in March, despite facing pressure over his scrapped plan to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investment firms. The key number mentioned is 211, the total number of Fifa member associations that would need to back a candidate to challenge Infantino's re-election. According to a statement from Fifa, Infantino announced his intention to run for re-election in April, and will serve until 2031 if re-elected. Uefa has withdrawn its plan to force a vote of no confidence against Infantino, citing the lack of votes required to pass the motion.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Gianni Infantino, the 56-year-old president of FIFA, will stand for re-election despite facing growing pressure and criticism over his failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. This decision was announced by FIFA on Sunday, after Infantino had declined to answer questions about his future at the Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland. If re-elected, Infantino will continue to serve as head of world football until 2031.
Infantino has been under fire since announcing his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). European soccer's governing body, UEFA, has accused him of "criminal mismanagement" and threatened to boycott all FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup. Several national associations, including the English FA, have also withdrawn their support for Infantino's re-election.
Infantino's leadership has been questioned by many in the football world, with some calling for him to step down. However, he maintains that he will continue to run for a fourth and final term as president, despite the growing uncertainty surrounding his position.
Written for “FIFA President Re-Election” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but none of the 1 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
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Leaning score withheld for article 5883: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-06
- Published
Fifa president Gianni Infantino will stand for re-election in March, says football's world governing body.
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body → publish → March
Infantino, who has filled the role since 2016, has been under pressure following his scrapped plan to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investment firms.
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who → fill → firms
Infantino's lucrative plan sparked a global outcry, with European football's governing body Uefa threatening to boycott all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup.
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body → spark → Cup
"The Fifa president announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027," read a Fifa statement.
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statement → announce → 2027
"Of course, nothing has changed.
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nothing → change → ?
Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election."
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Infantino → stand → election
Infantino refused to answer questions about his future when asked by reporters at the Women's Under-20 World Cup in Poland on Saturday.
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Infantino → refuse → Saturday
It is the first time Fifa has said he will run for a new term since the plan was announced following the summer's World Cup.
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plan → say → Cup
Should the 56-year-old Swiss be re-elected, he will serve until 2031.
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he → re → 2031
Fifa this week accused Uefa of a "smear campaign against it and its leadership", in a challenge to litigation over Infantino's plan.
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Fifa → accuse → plan
Last week Uefa filed legal papers in the US requesting disclosure of evidence and documents from Fifa, warning it could lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland.
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it → file → Switzerland
As recently as mid-July Infantino was considered a certainty to be re-elected.
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Infantino → consider → July
All but a handful of Fifa members had endorsed him, and he faced no meaningful challenge.
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he → endorse → challenge
However, the Football Associations of England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland are among those to have publicly withdrawn support since Infantino's plan was announced.
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plan → withdraw → support
BBC Sport understands Uefa is confident that a candidate can be found to stand against Infantino.
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candidate → understand → Infantino
A candidate must receive the backing of at least 106 of the 211 Fifa member associations.
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candidate → receive → associations
Uefa has abandoned the idea of trying to force a vote of no confidence.
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Uefa → abandon → confidence
It would require three-quarters of the members - 159 votes - to pass the motion through a change of Fifa statutes, which is considered unrealistic.
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which → require → statutes
No candidates to challenge Infantino have been named, although Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is considered a serious option.
Nominations must be submitted by 18 November.
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Nominations → challenge → November
