The Asian Football Confederation supports Gianni Infantino for a new term as FIFA president, following the dispute over the funding of international competitions

Riana Gegiu

23 October 2026, 13:23

Sport

Foto: Facebook/ Gianni Infantino

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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) reaffirmed its support for Gianni Infantino in the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March on Friday in Tokyo. The announcement was made by AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa at the end of a meeting also attended by the current head of world football’s governing body.

Salman said that the AFC maintains its “full commitment” to supporting Infantino for a new term and that he had spoken with numerous FIFA members from Asia, whose support was clear. Infantino, 56, is so far the only officially announced candidate and is seeking a fourth and final term. The deadline for submitting candidacies is November 18.

The AFC’s support represents a significant advantage for Infantino, given the weight of the regional confederations’ votes in the election of the FIFA president.

The decision marks a reconciliation following a dispute over a secret project to attract private capital to FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The AFC, UEFA and CONCACAF criticized the initiative, which was subsequently abandoned. Infantino apologized last week, while Salman said that the disagreements must be overcome.

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Context: before the AFC reaffirmed its support, the crisis surrounding Infantino escalated within FIFA

Before the announcement in Tokyo, FIFA’s leadership remained under pressure after Gianni Infantino’s plans to involve private investors in the world governing body’s competitions drew criticism among the confederations, and the initiative was subsequently abandoned. At the same time, discussions emerged about the possibility of a vote of no confidence against the FIFA president, with UEFA and CONCACAF among the stakeholders calling for an in-depth review of the leadership.

Amid the controversy, some national federations and governing bodies withdrew or announced their intention to withdraw their support: the English Football Association said it would call for support for Infantino to be withdrawn, while the Swiss Football Association effectively withdrew its support for his candidacy for the next term. At the same time, Infantino promised measures for a fairer distribution of funds to the 211 federations, while also requesting that a financial assessment be conducted before any commitment.