Africa has emerged as one of the most influential power blocs in the battle over the future leadership of FIFA, with the continent’s football associations expected to provide substantial support for President Gianni Infantino as he seeks another term in 2027.
Infantino has faced significant opposition following the collapse of a controversial proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors.
UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF were among those opposing the proposal, while France has now withdrawn its support for Infantino’s re-election.
Despite that pressure, removing the FIFA president is becoming increasingly difficult.
And Africa is one major reason why.
CAF Support Could Be Decisive
FIFA has 211 member associations, with every national federation receiving one vote at Congress regardless of population, footballing strength or commercial importance.
That makes Africa’s 54 national associations an enormously important electoral bloc.
A senior CAF source told Reuters that the vast majority of African federation presidents remained satisfied with Infantino’s leadership, with development funding among the factors influencing support.
Morocco has been among Infantino’s most visible African supporters.
Support from Africa, combined with backing from South America, Oceania and other smaller football nations, makes it extremely difficult for European opposition alone to defeat the incumbent president.
Europe Faces Numbers Problem
UEFA represents 55 associations.
Even unanimous European opposition would therefore be nowhere near enough to secure control of a FIFA presidential election.
A challenger would need to build a genuinely global coalition incorporating substantial support from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania.
So far, no candidate appears to have assembled such a coalition.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, considered by some senior football figures capable of mounting a credible challenge, has ruled himself out.
CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani has also indicated he is unlikely to run without confidence that sufficient support exists.
Candidates have until November 18 to enter the race.
Opposition May Target FIFA Powers Instead
The inability to identify a strong challenger could change the nature of the battle.
Rather than concentrating exclusively on removing Infantino, opponents are considering whether to push for reforms that reduce the amount of authority concentrated in the FIFA presidency.
Possible discussions include stronger checks on major commercial decisions, increased transparency and redistributing some responsibilities within FIFA’s leadership structure.
That would turn the dispute from a presidential contest into a broader debate about how world football is governed.
Africa’s Influence Growing
The situation also demonstrates how significantly Africa’s political influence within global football has grown.
African associations can no longer be viewed simply as recipients of FIFA development funding.
Collectively, they possess enough votes to influence who leads world football and how major policy decisions are made.
The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco.
That location makes the African dimension particularly striking.
If Infantino ultimately wins another term with substantial support from CAF members, the election will underline a reality that increasingly shapes global football politics: anyone seeking control of FIFA needs Africa.
