FIFA affirms Gianni Infantino will seek re-election in 2027 amid fresh speculation

FIFA has moved to quash speculation surrounding Gianni Infantino’s future as FIFA President, insisting that the Swiss-Italian remains firmly committed to contesting the 2027 presidential election.

A FIFA spokesperson has reiterated that nothing has changed regarding Infantino’s previously announced plans to seek another term at the helm of world football’s governing body.

“The FIFA President announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027. Of course, nothing has changed. Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election.” a FIFA spokesperson said.

The clarification comes after recent reporting appeared to suggest uncertainty over Infantino’s plans, prompting FIFA to restate the position publicly.

According to the spokesperson, Infantino’s focus during his latest engagement was on the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup which kicked off yesterday in Poland, rather than matters outside football.

“Nothing has changed but some seem to be suggesting it has. It hasn’t. As the President made clear yesterday there will be the right place and time to talk about non-footballing matters. His focus yesterday was on supporting the U-20 Women’s World Cup,” the spokesperson added.

Infantino had already made his intentions clear in April when he addressed the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada.

During his concluding remarks at the Congress on April 30, 2026, Infantino announced that he would seek re-election in 2027, thanking FIFA’s 211 Member Associations for their support during his decade in office.

“I want to tell you first – the 211 (FIFA) Member Associations – that I will be (a) candidate for the election of FIFA President next year,” Infantino told Congress.

The 55-year-old was first elected FIFA President at an Extraordinary Congress in Zurich on February 26, 2016, succeeding Sepp Blatter.

Since taking charge, Infantino has overseen significant changes to FIFA’s competitions, governance structures and football development programmes.

At the Vancouver Congress, he highlighted FIFA’s investment of approximately USD 5 billion in football development over the previous 10 years through the FIFA Forward programme.

He also announced that investment under the fourth FIFA Forward cycle, covering 2027 to 2031, would increase by 20 percent to USD 2.7 billion.

Infantino stressed that FIFA’s 211 Member Associations remain central to the organisation’s development agenda, insisting that revenues generated from major competitions would continue to support football development across the world.

He also pointed to programmes such as the FIFA Talent Development Scheme, Football for Schools, FIFA Arena and the FIFA Clearing House as examples of initiatives designed to expand football’s global reach.

With the 2027 FIFA presidential election approaching, the latest clarification from FIFA leaves no ambiguity over Infantino’s current position: he intends to stand for re-election and nothing has changed.