Speculation is growing over potential successors to Gianni Infantino as Fifa president, with Concacaf chief Victor Montagliani emerging as one of the names being discussed in football governance circles.
Montagliani has led Concacaf, the confederation overseeing football across North and Central America and the Caribbean, since 2016. He was elected on a platform of governance reform, much like Infantino himself when he took charge of Fifa. A former president of Canada Soccer, Montagliani played a significant role in the preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the first edition of the tournament to be jointly hosted by three countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico.
His multilingual background is seen as an asset in international football politics. Montagliani is fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish, allowing him to communicate directly with a wide range of stakeholders across different regions and federations.
Describing the effort behind his initial campaign for the Concacaf presidency, Montagliani recalled the extensive groundwork he undertook. "Like anything, when I decide to go, I go. I campaigned on my own dime for three months, went to see all 41 countries, from the US to Bonaire — a little island off Venezuela," he told the BC Business website, illustrating the determination that helped him secure the role.
During his tenure, Montagliani oversaw Concacaf's hosting of an expanded Copa America in 2024, a tournament that drew significant attention across the football world. Despite its scale and success, he has pushed back against suggestions that such an expanded format should become a permanent fixture, indicating a preference for careful, considered change rather than sweeping expansion for its own sake.
Montagliani has also shown himself capable of navigating delicate political situations within the sport. He played a role in easing tensions surrounding former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's push to gather support for a World Cup held every two years, a proposal that proved divisive among football's governing bodies. He has likewise expressed skepticism about expanding the World Cup to 64 teams, a concept that has been floated in various forms in recent years.
Speaking at the Leaders conference in 2025, Montagliani offered a broader perspective on football's resilience amid political and administrative turbulence. He suggested that the sport's global appeal transcends any single administration or moment in time.
"The game is bigger than world current leaders," he said. "Football will survive regimes. Does it cause a headache? Of course. You have to be realistic about that. That is the beauty of our game, it is bigger than any individual and country."
Those comments have been interpreted by some observers as reflective of the calm, long-term thinking that could serve Montagliani well should he ever seek the top job at Fifa. His experience delivering a historic three-nation World Cup, combined with his linguistic versatility and his track record of defusing contentious debates within the game, are viewed as key credentials.
While no formal succession process has been announced, and Infantino has given no indication of stepping down imminently, the conversation around potential replacements underscores the scale of influence figures like Montagliani already wield within global football's power structures. His measured stance on expansion, reform and the sport's ability to withstand external pressures positions him as a figure many in the game continue to watch closely.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.