FIFA President Gianni Infantino is solidifying his support ahead of the March 2027 presidential election as a campaign by European football authority UEFA to remove him stumbles.
Anyone expecting the Swiss-Italian administrator to prepare for an early departure from world football's governing body may be mistaken. A growing coalition of member associations across the Americas is pledging full backing for Infantino, undercutting European efforts to mobilize a majority against his leadership.
On Monday, the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association issued a statement declaring its unconditional support for Infantino to remain head of FIFA after the 2027 vote. The Caribbean body described Infantino as a steadfast champion of equal fairness who ensured small countries were active, valuable participants in global football rather than peripheral observers. The association praised his transformative initiatives, including investments in grassroots infrastructure and expanded access to the FIFA World Cup, stating that Infantino listened with humility and acted with conviction to establish a legacy of inclusion giving every nation an equal voice.
Antigua and Barbuda, a Caribbean island nation with a population of roughly 100,000, holds the same single vote in FIFA presidential elections as major traditional powers such as England or France. The country is a member of CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football. CONCACAF had previously been viewed by European officials as a crucial regional ally in their strategy to unseat Infantino before the next election.
However, Antigua and Barbuda is the latest CONCACAF member to align with Infantino. Caribbean federations St. Kitts and Nevis and Grenada recently announced similar unconditional support. They followed Mexico, which was among the first major associations in the region to confirm that Infantino could rely on its vote despite recent controversies surrounding his administration.
The endorsements demonstrate that UEFA, which has led the opposition to Infantino, does not necessarily represent a majority of FIFA's 211 member associations. European officials had previously assumed that combining votes across Europe, Asia, and the CONCACAF region would be sufficient to force a leadership change prior to the March 2027 election.
Proposed Expansion to 64 Teams Drives Support
Infantino's primary leverage against the European rebellion is a proposal to expand the FIFA World Cup to 64 participating teams. Expanding the tournament to include nearly one third of all FIFA member nations faces intense resistance in Europe, but enjoys overwhelming enthusiasm across other continents, with the South American Football Confederation, CONMEBOL, and the Confederation of African Football, CAF, prepared to endorse the plan.
For smaller footballing nations, expanding the World Cup to 64 teams makes qualification realistic. Smaller countries can emulate strategies used by Curaçao, Haiti, and Cape Verde by identifying heritage players in more developed footballing nations, issuing them passports, and fielding competitive national teams. Qualification brings massive FIFA participation bonuses that secure funding for smaller federations for years, alongside commercial opportunities through sponsorships and kit sales.
European football features a wealthy club industry centered around domestic leagues and the UEFA Champions League, meaning European federations rely less on FIFA tournaments. Traditional fans in Europe have argued a 64-team World Cup would be unwatchable and expressed concern over elite stars such as Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland being overworked. Developing football nations, which depend on FIFA's quadrennial tournament for major revenue, regard those European concerns as first-world problems.
Infantino's strategy reflects the principle attributed to Roman Emperor Vespasian that money does not smell, prioritizing commercial revenue growth over traditional European preferences. His signature initiatives include expanding the World Cup to 48 teams for 2026, creating a revamped FIFA Club World Cup, and securing Saudi Arabian investment to fund new events.
European Critics Attack Small Nation Endorsements
The statement from Antigua and Barbuda drew fierce criticism from European observers. Paul Nicholson, writing in a column for the football business site InsideWorldFootball, ridiculed the Caribbean association's announcement. Nicholson wrote that FIFA development funds for grassroots infrastructure were statutory entitlements distributed long before Infantino took office rather than presidential favors, comparing the association's praise to thanking sun gods for the daily sunrise.
Nicholson noted that while the statement was unsigned, it marked the first public international move by ABFA President Ickford Roberts, who was elected to lead the association in May. Nicholson characterized the statement as a major failure, describing it as the debut of an inexperienced official attempting to please FIFA leadership in exchange for standard financial distributions.
Cracks Emerge Within European Opposition Alliance
European opposition to Infantino is also hindered by a lack of total unity within UEFA itself. Only 13 of UEFA's 55 member associations have officially withdrawn support for Infantino: Norway, England, Wales, Finland, Serbia, Sweden, Croatia, Albania, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. That leaves the anti-Infantino movement well short of a European majority.
A major fracture in European opposition involves France. French Football Federation President Philippe Diallo addressed the Infantino controversy only after personal intervention from French President Emmanuel Macron. While the FFF issued a statement criticizing Infantino's proposal to create an independent company to manage commercial rights for World Cups, the French body notably refrained from revoking its support for Infantino's re-election.
Commentators note that Diallo favors continuity rather than revolution at FIFA, while advocating for greater transparency, democracy, and accountability in the coming weeks. French investigative journalist Romain Molina reported that Macron is playing a double game regarding FIFA leadership. Indirect evidence of French division emerged when New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific with independent FIFA member status, formally published a statement supporting Infantino.
