Conmebol first federation to call for Gianni Infantino's re-election as FIFA president

ArgentinaAustraliaBelgiumBrazilCameroonCanadaCosta RicaCroatiaDenmarkEcuadorEnglandFranceGermanyGhanaIranJapanMexicoMoroccoNetherlandsNorthern IrelandPolandPortugalQatarRepublic of IrelandSaudi ArabiaScotlandSenegalSerbiaSouth KoreaSpainSwitzerlandTunisiaUruguayUSMNTUSWNTWalesPodcastsConmebol first federation to call for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA presidentInfantino has been FIFA president since 2016 Adem Altan / AFP via Getty Images Share full article1Gianni Infantino has been backed for re-election as FIFA president for a further four years by the entirety of the Conmebol council — making the South American football confederation the first to publicly call for another term of Infantino. Infantino, 56, is yet to publicly or formally declare his intention to run again. But it is presumed that he will considering the way he has reshaped FIFA in his image during his decade in power. He was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. Conmebol, in a statement issued Thursday, paid tribute to the “leadership” shown by Infantino and the “advances made”, particularly in football’s development, under Infantino’s management. In September, FIFA held discussions with political and football figures about expanding the men’s World Cup to a 64-team tournament in 2030 — after receiving a formal pitch from a delegation of influential South American leaders. The group included heads of state from Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as senior football executives from Conmebol and the head of the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The 64-team idea was first presented by the Uruguayan Football Association’s president, Ignacio Alonso, during a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025. The proposal surprised many on the call, but FIFA said it has a duty to consider ideas presented at its Council. In April, Dominguez said the 64-team concept would be a one-off to mark the 100th anniversary of the first men’s World Cup, which took place in Uruguay in 1930. A 64-team competition would mean more than 30 per cent of FIFA’s 211 national teams would compete. FIFA has not issued an update on the topic, with major questions about the calendar, logistics and infrastructure requirements for such a large tournament to take place. but Conmebol’s council has now made an early move to back Infantino’s re-election. The 2030 tournament is FIFA’s most sprawling to date, as it will be hosted across three continents and six countries. It is set to be shared across Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, who will each have one game at the start of the event, before the remainder of the schedule is split across Spain, Portugal and Morocco. This workaround, however, has been deemed insufficient by those in South America. Their continent has hosted only one recent men’s World Cup, in Brazil in 2014. The previous most recent was in Argentina in 1978. In the intervening years, Europe has hosted five tournaments, and Asia two. During September’s meeting, Infantino appeared to give encouragement to the expanded tournament. In videos posted on social media by those present, he told the room: “Today, we really start working together as a team to make history. Working together to see how we can do something the world will not forget, because the people deserve it.” Conmebol had looked to be at odds with Infantino earlier in his reign, with the confederation opposed to FIFA’s biennial World Cup proposal. Along with UEFA, it came out against the idea in September 2021.  Conmebol and UEFA were also in discussions about a joint Nations League, which did not materialize, although the organizations did re-introduce the “Finalissima”, which sees the European Championship winners play against the Copa America winners in one-off games. Infantino has been FIFA President since 2016, when he succeeded Sepp Blatter. He has since overseen men’s World Cups in Qatar and Russia, which were both awarded under the previous regime.  Infantino’s last election was in March 2023, so his four-year term will be up in 2027. FIFA has a 12-year term limit, meaning that Infantino, ought, in theory, to be unable to stand for a further four years. However, in 2022 the FIFA governance, audit and compliance committee ruled his first term did not count, as it was only for three years. This therefore allows him to rule for 15 years, through to 2031. Under his presidency, the men’s World Cup has expanded from 32 to 48 teams, which will come into play for the first time at this summer’s tournament across North America. The same expanded format will come in for 2031 women’s World Cup. The awards for the next two men’s World Cups also reached unusual or controversial conclusions during Infantino’s tenure. In 2030, the tournament will be shared across three continents (Africa, Europe and South America), which made the 2034 tournament essentially a fait accompli for Saudi Arabia, as FIFA abide by a confederation rotation principle. This means that two tournaments must pass by before a confederation can once again host a World Cup, ruling out North America, Africa, Europe and South America, leaving only Oceania and Asia as options, with Saudi Arabia the sole bidder. Infantino’s time in power has been praised — often by FIFA itself — as a reformist presidency following the scandals and FBI investigations that stained the organization. Infantino has increased revenue for federations across the world, which also helps him when it comes to re-election, as every one of FIFA’s 211 nations will get a vote. As part of the current cycle — 2023 to 2026 — each member association is entitled to receive up to $8million (£6.1m), although this cannot be spent freely. The total amount made available over this four-year period is $2.25bn. FIFA announced on March 19 that this will rise to $2.7bn for the 2027-2030 cycle. Infantino’s presidency has also featured controversies. UEFA council members walked out of the FIFA Congress last year after Infantino turned up late when he prioritized a trip with President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He has also faced criticism from player unions and domestic leagues over the expanded Club World Cup competition. FIFA’s own ethics committee investigated Infantino over a potential conflict of interest in 2017 when he and his staff travelled in private jets laid on for him in Russia and Qatar. Another investigation in 2016 centred on his alleged billing of FIFA for personal expenses. In both cases, the investigatory chamber concluded the ethics code had not been violated. In December, an official complaint was submitted to FIFA’s Ethics Committee by FairSquare, a non-profit organization and advocacy group, alleging “repeated breaches” of FIFA’s duty of political neutrality by Infantino, while also requesting an investigation into the process that saw Trump receive the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. FIFA has not provided any update on the progress of that complaint. Infantino has been hailing the projected $11 billion revenues FIFA hopes to make from this summer’s World Cup, but his organization has faced scrutiny over the most expensive tournament tickets that FIFA have ever produced. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Adam Crafton is a British journalist based in New York City, having relocated from London in 2024. He primarily covers soccer for The Athletic. In 2024, he was named the Sports Writer of the Year by the Sports' Journalist Association, after winning the Young Sports Writer of the Year award in 2018. Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamCrafton_