FIFA isn't apologizing for constantly cutting to Gianni Infantino during World Cup matches. They're owning it. "It is standard practice for seats which include football officials, public figures and celebrities to be shown as part of the match running order, whoever they may be," a FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic. Whatever fans think of it, that's the policy — and it isn't changing.
Infantino has been everywhere during this tournament. More than 50,000 km logged across the opening weeks alone, hopping between venues in Mexico, Canada, and the United States — sometimes catching multiple games in a single day. On screen, he's been treated with the same VIP framing as David Beckham and Brad Pitt. Whether that sits well with supporters watching at home is apparently not FIFA's primary concern.
The camera time isn't incidental
With Infantino having announced plans to run for a third presidential term in 2027, the exposure is doing real work. A third term would take him to 2031 — 15 years at the top of world football's governing body. No challenger has stepped forward. Three of FIFA's six continental confederations — Africa, Asia, and South America — have already backed him, representing 110 of FIFA's 211 member associations. All three endorsed him unanimously.
That's a formidable base of support, built in part through years of visibility exactly like this. Every cutaway to Infantino in a VIP box, grinning through a quarterfinal, is a reminder of who runs the game.
The tournament itself has been a lightning rod regardless. The U.S. forced Iran's squad to relocate their base camp to Tijuana. Folarin Balogun's red card was overturned following Donald Trump's intervention. VAR has been a disaster in key knockout games. And now a straight admission from FIFA that the broadcast is being used — at least in part — as a platform for its own leadership.
Four teams left, one man front and center
France, Spain, England, and Argentina are the last four standing — the first time in history the world's top four-ranked nations have all reached the semi-finals of a World Cup. Sunday's final at MetLife Stadium is expected to feature Trump in some capacity. Infantino, as ever, will be in the building.
With three confederations already locked in behind him and zero opposition declared, Infantino's path to 2031 looks less like an election and more like a formality. The cameras will keep finding him either way.
