/ Aug 24, 2026
/ Aug 24, 2026

Ceferin rejects FIFA role as Infantino faces leadership challenge

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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out a move to replace Gianni Infantino as FIFA president, saying he is not interested in taking charge of world football’s governing body.

 

Ceferin, speaking on The Rest is Politics podcast, said he preferred to continue his work at UEFA and believed his position remained stronger by not seeking the FIFA role.

“I’m not interested,” the Slovenian football administrator said, explaining that he enjoys leading UEFA and wants to focus on other priorities in the future.

His comments come as Infantino faces growing pressure over his abandoned plan to secure private investment for FIFA tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.

UEFA has criticised the proposal, while several football federations and officials have reportedly withdrawn their backing for Infantino.

Ceferin said he believes Infantino now faces two possible outcomes: stepping aside after losing support from the football community or contesting the next FIFA election against a challenger.

“If he goes to the elections in March, I think he will have a candidate against him,” Ceferin said, adding that he did not yet know who that candidate would be.

Potential challengers mentioned include CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and Asian Football Confederation chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa.

Infantino became FIFA president in 2016 after succeeding Sepp Blatter, with strong backing from European football nations.

The next FIFA Congress is scheduled to take place in Morocco in March 2027, where the future leadership of global football could be decided.

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