FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing increasing opposition ahead of the March 2027 election, with a number of European football associations withdrawing their support following controversy over his proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise investment plan.
Infantino had appeared well positioned for re-election until the plan, which sought to attract private investment into the World Cup, triggered criticism from several football authorities.
FIFA eventually shelved the proposal, while Infantino apologised over what he described as errors surrounding the initiative.
Despite the controversy, FIFA’s senior executives reaffirmed their support for Infantino at a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco.
The final decision, however, will be determined by FIFA’s 211 member associations, with each association entitled to one vote regardless of the size or strength of its national team.
While continental bodies such as UEFA and the Confederation of African Football can endorse candidates and lobby member associations, the individual national federations will ultimately cast the votes.
UEFA has criticised Infantino’s leadership, while the African football confederation has backed his re-election bid.
No formal challenger has emerged so far, with the deadline for submitting nominations set for November 18.
Countries opposing or withdrawing support
Most of the publicly declared opposition has come from Europe.
Finland was among the first associations to withdraw its support, followed by England, Wales and Serbia. Sweden, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have also indicated that they will not support Infantino.
Jordan is the only non-European country publicly identified as opposing his re-election.
The Jordan Football Association is led by former FIFA vice-president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, who accused FIFA leadership of using financial pressure to influence support for Infantino.
Prince Ali alleged that Jordan had been awaiting funds linked to its participation in the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar in December and claimed the federation was told that supporting Infantino could help facilitate payment.
He later confirmed that Jordan received the outstanding funds.
Countries publicly opposing or withdrawing support:
1. Finland
2. England
3. Wales
4. Serbia
5. Sweden
6. Greece
7. Albania
8. Croatia
9. Germany
10. Denmark
11. Netherlands
12. Norway
13. Jordan
Countries yet to formally oppose Infantino but indicating they may not support him:
1. Romania
2. Czech Republic
Countries backing Infantino
Infantino continues to enjoy support from football associations across several confederations.
Qatar, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Lebanon and Morocco publicly backed the FIFA president after the Forward Enterprise proposal was withdrawn.
Their support was followed by endorsements from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Bhutan, the Philippines, Mexico, Argentina and Paraguay.
Egypt, Niger and Mauritania, which have historically supported Infantino, have also expressed support in recent weeks but stopped short of issuing formal endorsements.
Countries publicly backing Infantino:
1. Qatar
2. Sri Lanka
3. Kuwait
4. Lebanon
5. Morocco
6. Democratic Republic of Congo
7. Indonesia
8. Bhutan
9. Philippines
10. Mexico
11. Argentina
12. Paraguay
Countries expressing support without issuing full endorsements:
1. Egypt
2. Niger
3. Mauritania
With 211 associations eligible to vote and several months remaining before the election, the current alignment could change significantly before the March 2027 contest.
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