FIFA President Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election received a major boost on Wednesday after the African and Asian football confederations pledged their support. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) both announced they would back Infantino if he stands for a fourth term in 2027, according to AFP.
In a brief statement released after a meeting ahead of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, CAF said it had unanimously agreed to support Infantino. The AFC also confirmed its backing, with President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa stating: "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."
The African and Asian confederations together control 101 votes out of 211 in FIFA's presidential election. Infantino had already secured support from South America's CONMEBOL, which adds another 10 votes.
Infantino became FIFA president in 2016 after the corruption scandal that ousted Sepp Blatter. He was re-elected in 2019 and 2023. Although FIFA statutes limit presidents to three terms, his first partial term (2016-2019) does not count, allowing him to run again.
His tenure has faced controversy, including ties to US President Donald Trump, who received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in 2022. Advocacy group FairSquare filed a complaint with FIFA's ethics committee, alleging a breach of political neutrality. Infantino has also been criticized for expanding the World Cup to 48 teams and launching the revamped 32-team Club World Cup.
Despite this, Infantino has overseen record revenues, with the 2026 World Cup projected to generate $13 billion. The FIFA Forward Program has increased funding to member associations, pledging $2.7 billion for the 2027-2030 cycle—an eight-fold increase from a decade ago.
