FIFA's Civil War: Who Backs Infantino?

How big was the World Cup rights deal FIFA abandoned?

FIFA proposed selling roughly a 20% stake in a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise, valued at $20 billion, to raise up to $4.2 billion for global football development. The entity would have controlled commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. Infantino withdrew it after UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC, 143 of FIFA's 211 members, opposed it.

Who was expected to lead the investment in the stake sale?

Thrive Eternal, an investment fund managed by Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner, was expected to lead the investor consortium buying into FIFA Forward Enterprise. Joshua Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, a connection that became a central part of the controversy surrounding the proposal.

What incentive did FIFA offer member associations to approve it?

Infantino told FIFA's 211 member associations they would each receive $40 million if they approved the proposal by September 19. The offer did not overcome opposition: UEFA called it selling the sport's "soul", a senior adviser resigned calling it "a bad deal for football", and FIFA's own COO said staff had been "deceived".

Can UEFA's boycott actually force Infantino out?

Not on its own. Removing Infantino requires a vote of all 211 FIFA members, and CONMEBOL has explicitly rejected any ouster attempt that bypasses that full membership vote. UEFA has 55 members, a strong bloc, but Infantino has since drawn CAF's 54 nations, plus Argentina and Mexico, meaning UEFA alone cannot muster the numbers needed at Congress.

What does UEFA's boycott actually withhold from FIFA?

UEFA voted to boycott FIFA events, including future World Cups, unless plans for private investment in the World Cup and other events were dropped. It called such a proposal on football's greatest legacy "irresponsible and indefensible" because it was "conceived in secret," and said no part of the tournament should be surrendered to investors.

Why couldn't UEFA's threat alone kill the private-investment plan?

UEFA has 55 of FIFA's 211 members. Even with CONCACAF's 41 members rejecting the proposal and the AFC opposing it too, that bloc still fell short of the majority needed, since Infantino later secured CAF's 54 African members plus Argentina and Mexico, showing no single confederation can dictate outcomes without the full 211-member vote CONMEBOL insists on.

What structurally limits any confederation's power over FIFA's president?

FIFA's presidency answers to a one-nation-one-vote Congress of 211 associations, not to confederations. That structure lets Infantino outflank UEFA by courting individual federations, like Mexico and Argentina, that break from their own confederations, meaning wealth and prestige in European leagues translate into only one vote each at Congress, same as any small nation.

Could Sheikh Salman unseat Infantino at March's Congress?

It's plausible but contested. Sheikh Salman, now AFC president and FIFA's senior vice president, lost to Infantino in 2016 and has openly called the FFE proposal "totally unacceptable." But CAF, with 54 members, has now unanimously backed Infantino, denying Salman the African bloc that nearly won him the presidency a decade ago, and Argentina, Mexico all support Infantino too.

How close did Salman come to winning in 2016?

Salman entered as favourite, backed by most of Asia and expected support from 53 of CAF's 54 members. He led the first round but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. In the second round, needing just over 50%, Infantino overtook him 115 votes to win, after CONCACAF reportedly shifted its bloc away from Prince Ali toward Infantino between rounds.

Who else could split the anti-Infantino vote?

Salman is not the only name circulating. PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi, a FIFA Council and UEFA executive committee member, has moved to the top of speculation lists, while CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is also seen as a frontrunner given his FIFA vice-presidency. A crowded field of challengers could fracture the opposition vote rather than unite behind one candidate.

What's the actual timetable for a challenge to form?

The nomination deadline for March's Congress is November 18, 2026, roughly four months before the election, giving candidates time to lobby member associations. FIFA presidential elections run on a four-year cycle tied to the Congress following each World Cup, so this vote in Rabat is the first real test of Infantino's support since his unopposed re-elections in 2019 and 2023.