Candidates hoping to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency have until the end of Wednesday, November 18 to formally submit their bids. The vote itself will take place at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco, on March 18, 2027.
Confirmed candidates
Infantino, the incumbent, announced in April that he intends to stand for a fourth and final term as head of world soccer's governing body. FIFA presidents are typically limited to three terms, but only if each lasted the full four years; because Infantino's first term ran only from February 2016 to June 2019, he is permitted to stand again. The Asian Football Confederation has already endorsed his bid, with AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa announcing the confederation's backing on Oct. 22.
Infantino's position has come under pressure in recent months following FIFA's controversial plan to sell stakes in its tournaments to private investors. Amid fierce resistance led by UEFA, Infantino scrapped the FIFA Forward Enterprise project just days after it was announced in late July.
Kozo Tashima, honorary president of the Japan Football Association, confirmed this week that he intends to challenge Infantino. A former coach who also won seven Japanese caps as a player, Tashima told Sports Nippon on Thursday: "It's not about winning or losing but about conveying to the world the honest, sound and upright attitude that Japanese football has built. What FIFA needs now are these values that we have protected. I have decided to run in order to make this appeal to the world."
Ramón Vega, a former Switzerland defender who won 23 caps and played for Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic, announced his own bid for the FIFA presidency in October. "My purpose is straightforward," he said. "To serve football and the people who give the game its life. I am standing to reunite the global football family, deliver genuine and lasting reform, modernise FIFA for the 21st century, restore stability and credibility, and rebuild the trust that our game urgently needs."
Other names linked to the race
Canadian soccer administrator Victor Montagliani had been heavily tipped as a potential challenger to Infantino in the wake of the FFE scandal. However, The Guardian reported in October that Montagliani has told CONCACAF staff he intends to seek re-election as the regional body's chief in 2027, effectively ruling himself out of the FIFA race.
Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, now FIFA's head of global football development, is another figure linked to a potential run. French newspaper L'Équipe reported on Friday that Wenger is giving the idea serious thought and will confirm his intentions next week.
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom has also been mentioned as a possible candidate. The Guardian reported earlier this year that "senior figures in African football" had sounded out the 46-year-old Swede's interest in running for the post.
Meanwhile, UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also chairman of European Football Clubs, had both been tipped to stand but have publicly ruled themselves out of contention.
