UEFA considers non-European challenger to Infantino in 2027 FIFA presidential election

UEFA is considering backing a non-European candidate to challenge Gianni Infantino in the 2027 FIFA presidential election, in an attempt to avoid turning the contest into a direct confrontation between European football’s governing body and FIFA.

The election is scheduled to take place in Rabat, Morocco, on 18 March 2027. UEFA is closely monitoring the developing campaign, with the deadline for submitting nominations set for 18 November.

According to Mundo Deportivo, UEFA wants to support an opponent to Infantino who could promote changes to FIFA’s structure. However, it is reluctant to put forward a European candidate, fearing that doing so would create a clear FIFA-versus-UEFA battle and push the other confederations away from the centre of the election.

The European governing body is therefore examining the possibility of Victor Montagliani entering the race. The Canadian, 60, is president of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and has served as a FIFA vice-president since 2016.

Montagliani was born in Vancouver to Italian parents and is considered to have a strong understanding of European football. UEFA is expected to study his plans in greater detail before deciding whether to offer its formal support.

Aleksander Ceferin, the UEFA president and one of Infantino’s most prominent opponents, has already said he does not intend to stand for the FIFA presidency. That leaves UEFA assessing alternatives as it seeks a candidate capable of challenging the incumbent without making the election a contest dominated by European institutions.

UEFA is particularly interested in ending what it sees as the dominance of European candidates at the top of FIFA. Swiss official Sepp Blatter held the presidency from 1998 until 2016, before Infantino won the election in 2016 and was re-elected in 2023.

The last non-European FIFA president was Brazil’s Joao Havelange, who led the organisation from 1974 to 1998.

If Montagliani’s programme does not match UEFA’s priorities, the organisation could ultimately look for a European candidate as a last resort. No final decision has yet been made on whom it will support.

World Cup final venue also under scrutiny

UEFA is also monitoring the competition between Spain and Morocco to host the 2030 World Cup final.

Spain could offer the Santiago Bernabeu, which has a capacity of about 80,000, and Spotify Camp Nou, whose capacity is listed at 104,600. Morocco’s leading option is the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca, which is planned to hold 115,000 spectators.

UEFA believes staging the final in Spain would be the logical outcome because the 2030 World Cup bid began as a European project led by Spain and Portugal, before Morocco later joined the proposal.

However, UEFA is concerned that the final could be awarded to Morocco because of political pressure or a preference from Infantino. Those concerns come amid increasingly close relations between the FIFA president and Moroccan officials.