Huge endorsement for Gianni Infantino as 21 Arab Football Associations back FIFA President

The Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) has delivered a major show of support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with 21 of its 22 member associations across Africa and Asia backing his leadership.

The development follows the 81st meeting of the UAFA Board of Directors, chaired by President Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

UAFA has 22 members drawn from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The 10 CAF members are Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia, while the 12 AFC members are Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Jordan is the only UAFA member yet to declare its support for Infantino.

At the meeting, the Board reviewed several issues concerning the development and organisation of Arab football, including the calendar of national team and club competitions for the 2026/27 season.

The Board also approved the formation of supporting committees for its 2025–2029 term and reviewed development initiatives, including the “Challenge and Innovation Initiative”, which seeks to introduce competitions incorporating modern technology into various aspects of football.

The biggest message from the meeting, however, came at its conclusion when the UAFA Board welcomed recent steps taken by FIFA to strengthen collaboration with national, regional and continental football associations.

The organisation subsequently reaffirmed its “support and appreciation” for Infantino in the coming period.

UAFA credited the FIFA president with strengthening unity across the global football community, developing and growing the game, and expanding its global reach in a manner it said serves the interests of stakeholders while meeting the aspirations of players and fans.

The endorsement gives Infantino overwhelming backing from the Arab football bloc, with 21 of UAFA’s 22 members now publicly aligned behind the FIFA president.