Gianni Infantino is facing a great opportunity to continue holding the position of FIFA President. He receives official support from more than 200 member federations, despite recent controversies related to the management of the most powerful football organization in the world.
According to British media, only a small number of the total 211 FIFA member federations have not sent letters of support to Infantino. With being the only candidate, he is almost certain to be elected for a fourth term at the FIFA congress in March next year.
Some European federations, including the German Football Association (DFB), have not yet given official support. However, this may hardly affect Infantino's chances of re-election as most member states have sided with him.
The election can only change if a major political upheaval occurs. Recent instability, including controversy related to the consideration of reducing the suspension of US team striker Folarin Balogun, is still not enough to create a real challenge for Infantino.
Within European football, the idea of finding a counterweight to Infantino has been discussed, but the possibility of federations unifying around a specific name is still very low.
UEFA has repeatedly expressed disagreements with FIFA on some issues, such as the Balogun case or the decision not to use referee Omar Artan at the 2026 World Cup. However, the European football governing body has not yet shown official signs of supporting a replacement candidate.
According to some sources, if a candidate receives about 30-40 votes in favor, the election could create a broader debate about FIFA's orientation and governance. However, this scenario is still very unlikely to happen.
FIFA member federations will meet in New York this weekend. Under the chairmanship of Infantino, recent debates are likely not to become the focus of discussion, instead being financial issues from the World Cup and the possibility of allocating more benefits to member federations.
