Asian confederation endorses Infantino for fourth FIFA term as candidate deadline nears

Asian endorsement in Tokyo

On Friday, 23 October, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), told an extraordinary congress in Tokyo that the body endorses Gianni Infantino for a fourth term as FIFA president. He embraced Infantino in front of the membership as he delivered the endorsement. The AFC has 47 member associations, and Sheikh Salman acknowledged that not all of them would follow his line, while saying he believed most would. Addressing Infantino directly, he said:

We affirm our full commitment to supporting you and your leadership as you seek a new mandate as the FIFA president.

The shift is sharp. On Thursday, 22 October, at the close of a two-day session in Tokyo, he had given no hint of the AFC's position and said the confederation was neither against nor in favour of anyone. Just over two months earlier, the AFC had joined the European and North and Central American confederations in calling Infantino's conduct a "fundamental breach of trust". Infantino seldom speaks to the media and did not appear publicly at the Tokyo sessions, while FIFA's media office promoted his visits to Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Pressure over the World Cup plan

Infantino came under heavy pressure over the summer after a plan to market World Cup rights through external investors was abandoned. In mid-October he apologised to FIFA's 37-member ruling council in Zurich, which he chairs, for mistakes made in assembling the scrapped plan, which was worth $4.2 billion. Critics within parts of the football world have also attacked his leadership style. The Times published a correction after reporting that Infantino had received a second salary from the American entity FIFA set up to organise last summer's World Cup, saying no such second salary existed. FIFA responded on X that some people were deliberately and persistently trying to undermine its authority and that of its president. UEFA has put 42 questions to Infantino and wants further clarification.

Backing from other confederations

Sheikh Salman's endorsement follows earlier support. In early October, 22 Arab associations, 12 of them from Asia, declared their backing for Infantino. The African confederation CAF says Africa's 54 associations stand firmly behind him. An Associated Press tally shows 87 of the 211 federations have indicated support for Infantino. Qatar has come out in support, while Jordan has declared its opposition, so Asia appears split.

The March 2027 vote

The election takes place at the FIFA congress in Rabat, Morocco, in March 2027, when Infantino, 56 and in charge since 2016, seeks a fourth term. UEFA has not yet settled on a rival candidate. Closing his remarks in Tokyo, Sheikh Salman looked ahead:

What matters now is how we move forward together.

The sequence of events from early October to the March vote is set out below.

Opposition candidates must file by 18 November, and so far none has filed.