CAF Member Associations Back Gianni Infantino Ahead of FIFA Elections

Oluwadamilola OlaleyeFootball, Africa, Latest News2 days ago

Ahead of the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, where new executives will be elected, the CAF Member Associations have unanimously thrown their support behind Gianni Infantino for re-election as FIFA President, which would potentially secure him a fourth term in office.

“The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) held a meeting today, Wednesday 29 April 2026, in Vancouver, Canada on the eve of the 76th FIFA Congress and the CAF Member Associations unanimously agreed to support Gianni Infantino to be re-elected as President of FIFA for the period 2027-2031,” the African football governing body official statement.

Having been re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, Gianni Infantino now not only has the backing of the 54 African nations, but is also strongly supported by the South American confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), placing him as the clear favourite to retain his seat.

The African and Asian confederations together control 101 of the 211 votes in FIFA’s presidential election, giving them significant influence in the upcoming contest.

Although FIFA statutes limit presidents to three terms, Gianni Infantino is eligible to run again after his initial 2016–2019 term following Sepp Blatter’s departure which was not counted as a full term.

Under Infantino’s leadership, FIFA has also significantly increased financial support to its 211 member associations through the FIFA Forward Programme. For the 2027–2030 cycle, FIFA has committed around $2.7 billion in distributions, an eight-fold rise compared to a decade ago.