Football

Since the fallout of the FIFA Forward Enterprise mess, embattled president Gianni Infantino has been inundated with questions about his future as head of the world soccer governing body.

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As the coalitions grow against his position at the helm of FIFA, Infantino has been forced to battle his way through trailing journalists, disillusioned federations, and angry fans.

Despite the commercial success of the 2026 World Cup, Infantino has faced multiple questions about his suitability to lead the sport into the future, with some suggesting that FIFA’s current makeup is unfit for governance.

Yet we know now that Infantino will fight for his place atop the organisation, having confirmed that he will run for re-election despite the growing noise against him.

MORE: Which groups and nations are for and against Infantino’s FIFA presidency

Gianni Infantino to run for FIFA president in 2027

FIFA confirmed on September 6 that Infantino will still run for his final term as president this coming March.

«The FIFA president announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027,» read a statement from the governing body, as per BBC Sport. «Of course, nothing has changed. Mr. Infantino will be standing for re-election.»

Infantino’s status at the helm of the organisation has been in question since the fallout of the FIFA Forward Enterprise disaster shortly after the 2026 World Cup concluded. There is a significant group of voting blocs that have publicly stated they will not support Infantino’s re-election bid, making his pathway to securing another term as president more difficult than on previous occasions.

Who are the other candidates for FIFA president?

No individual has formally solidified their candidacy to run against Infantino in the upcoming election, but there is plenty of time for that process to play out, and it’s very likely that one or more candidates will give it a run.

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Individuals who could potentially consider standing would be CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, AFC president Sheikh Salmon, UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin, and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al Khelaifi, although the latter two are more unlikely to want the role.

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom was rumored to be positioning for a move to run against Infantino, but he did an about-face and re-joined forces with the current boss shortly after the FFE fallout.

MORE: All the potential candidates who could potentially run to replace Gianni Infantino

When is the FIFA presidential election?

As it stands, the next FIFA presidential election is scheduled to take place on March 17, 2027.

Infantino was planning to run for his fourth presidential term, which by FIFA statutes would be his final term as president.

When did Gianni Infantino become FIFA president?

FIFA presidents are limited to three full four-year terms.

Infantino was first elected president in 2016 following the dismissal of Sepp Blatter, given an initial three-year term, which did not count towards the term limit due to the special nature of the election.

Infantino was re-elected unopposed in both 2019 and 2023. Because those are technically his first and second full terms as FIFA president, he therefore would be eligible to run for one more four-year term. If elected, he would be in charge until 2031 until he would be forced to step down.

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