World football's confederations have made their positions clear on the growing crisis engulfing Fifa president Gianni Infantino, with the sport now split down the middle over his leadership following a controversial World Cup sell-off plan.
The Oceania Football Confederation became the final regional body to weigh in this week, issuing a statement commending Fifa for the "progress achieved over the last decade" under Infantino's stewardship. That declaration means all six continental confederations have now stated their positions, leaving the governing body seemingly deadlocked at three votes apiece on whether Infantino should continue in his role.
However, the confederations' stances do not guarantee unified support from their member nations. New Zealand Football swiftly broke ranks with the OFC's position, withdrawing its backing for Infantino and demanding an independent investigation into the disputed sell-off scheme. The move is particularly notable given New Zealand's status as the OFC's largest federation and a previous beneficiary of Infantino's favor as co-host, alongside Australia, of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
On the pro-Infantino side, the Confederation of African Football and South America's Conmebol have both explicitly backed a third full term for the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian administrator. Individual associations have also lent their support, including Mexico within Concacaf and both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from the Asian Football Confederation—despite those confederations officially sitting among the opposition camp.
A crucial unknown remains Saudi Arabia, hosts of the 2034 World Cup, whose federation currently lacks a president ahead of elections scheduled for later this month. Their eventual position could sway how many other Asian nations align with the AFC leadership's stance.
Uefa has emerged as Infantino's fiercest critic, with the European body's 55 members largely presenting a united front and even raising the possibility of boycotting Fifa competitions should Infantino refuse to step aside from seeking re-election. The picture across Asia remains murkier, given uncertainty over how many of the AFC's 47 members truly stand behind their confederation's opposition.
Concacaf appears more cohesive in its resistance, though cracks have appeared—Grenada recently joined Mexico in publicly backing Infantino. Mexico's position is complicated by its stated ambition to eventually depart Concacaf for Conmebol, seeking more profitable fixtures against South American giants Brazil and Argentina. Meanwhile, Uefa officials reportedly believe certain African nations could be persuaded to defect from the pro-Infantino bloc.
Despite weeks of intense political maneuvering, the standoff shows no signs of imminent resolution and will likely persist until the presidential vote at Fifa's Congress in Rabat next March. Bolstered by strong alliances in Africa and South America, along with public backing from US President Donald Trump, Infantino shows no indication of abandoning his re-election bid, setting the stage for a fiercely contested seven-month campaign.
The first major flashpoint looms with next month's Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, which European nations have threatened to boycott—though whether any team will actually pull out remains uncertain. A temporary truce between Uefa and Fifa is considered probable to allow the tournament to proceed unimpeded.
Looking further ahead, 18 November marks the deadline for presidential candidates to formally announce their campaigns, giving Uefa's coalition roughly three months to unite behind a credible alternative to Infantino. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has been floated as the most probable challenger, though he is expected to enter the race only if confident of victory.
With 211 Fifa member associations eligible to vote and 106 needed to remove Infantino, his opponents face a steep climb to secure the numbers required for a successful challenge.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.