FIFA Succession: Four Candidates if Infantino Falls
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- Gianni Infantino scrapped controversial plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investment after UEFA declared it had "lost confidence" in his leadership and threatened to boycott FIFA competitions.
- The AFC said the controversy "has exposed fundamental weaknesses in Fifa's consultation and decision-making processes," while sources say the vast majority of CONCACAF members are losing or have lost faith in Infantino's ability to govern.
- Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's special adviser who was also appointed by Trump as senior adviser to the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup, resigned from his role.
- FIFA COO Kevin Lamour said FIFA's own administration was "deceived" about the investment project.
- Potential successors named include Victor Montagliani (CONCACAF president), Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (AFC president), Nasser Al-Khelaifi (PSG president and European Football Clubs chair), and Mattias Grafstrom (FIFA secretary general) — though a source close to Al-Khelaifi said he "genuinely, genuinely, genuinely doesn't want the job."
- FIFA's 77th Congress in Morocco will confirm the next president next March, with candidates having until November 18 to declare.
Why it matters: Infantino's tenure was built on cleaning up FIFA after Sepp Blatter's corruption scandal. If he falls, it would be the first contested FIFA presidential election since 2002 — and the succession could reshape how FIFA manages its commercial deals and consults with confederations. The November 18 nomination deadline will determine whether this becomes a real fight or a quiet coronation.
