UEFA open to backing Victor Montagliani as FIFA election challenger emerges

UEFA is prepared to support a candidate from outside Europe to oppose Gianni Infantino in the 2027 FIFA presidential election, according to a report by Mundo Deportivo.

The election will take place in Rabat, Morocco, on 18 March 2027, but the contest is already generating significant debate. Infantino has attracted renewed attention because of his currently suspended proposal to open the World Cup to private investment funds.

UEFA is monitoring the developing race closely, with the deadline for submitting candidates set for 18 November. Its president, Aleksander Ceferin, who is opposed to Infantino, has already indicated that he does not intend to stand for the FIFA presidency himself.

Despite Ceferin’s position, UEFA is expected to support a candidate capable of challenging Infantino and helping to reshape FIFA’s structures. European football’s governing body remains one of the most influential forces within the world governing organisation.

Officials in Nyon are waiting to establish who will emerge as Infantino’s main opponent. However, UEFA is reluctant to put forward a European candidate because that could make the election appear to be a direct confrontation between FIFA and UEFA, while also suggesting that the sport’s other confederations had been excluded.

Victor Montagliani, the 60-year-old Canadian president of CONCACAF and a FIFA vice-president since 2016, is therefore viewed as a possible option. Montagliani was born in Vancouver to Italian parents and has extensive knowledge of European football.

UEFA has not yet made a final decision and wants to examine Montagliani’s plans in detail. If his vision for FIFA is judged to be inconsistent with UEFA’s priorities, the organisation could turn to a European candidate as a last resort.

The broader preference, however, is to break the pattern of successive FIFA presidents from Europe. Sepp Blatter, from Switzerland, held the position from 1998 to 2016, before Infantino won the 2016 election and was re-elected in 2023. The previous FIFA president was Brazil’s Joao Havelange, who served from 1974 to 1998.

UEFA’s main priority is to find a figure able to unite the confederations. The coming weeks are expected to be decisive in identifying the candidate who will lead the opposition to Infantino.

The FIFA president has been conducting what is effectively an unofficial campaign for several months, and the passage of time is seen as working in his favour.

Previous reports have suggested that UEFA could support Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, if he entered the race. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Qatari chairman of Paris Saint-Germain, has also been mentioned as a possible candidate, although he has said he is content in his current role.