The key facts

  • The AFC at its congress in Tokyo officially backed Infantino's re-election, despite August criticism of his failed plan to sell World Cup rights to private investors
  • According to AFP's count, 87 of 211 federations have already backed Infantino; UEFA and CONCACAF have maintained their opposition, while Jordan is against
  • The candidacy deadline is 18 November, with elections in March; no serious rivals have yet been nominated

Support in Tokyo

President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa announced on 23 October at the confederation's extraordinary congress in Tokyo the support for incumbent FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the upcoming election. The 56-year-old Swiss, who attended the meeting, thanked Sheikh Salman for his 13 years leading the AFC and assured him of FIFA's support, then told journalists he was glad to receive the confederation's endorsement. The Tokyo meetings were held behind closed doors for the press. According to AFP, Sheikh Salman did not claim that all 47 AFC associations would back Infantino, but made it clear that the majority agrees.

A reversal after the conflict

The support marks a sharp reversal of the AFC's position. In August, the confederation, together with UEFA and CONCACAF, condemned Infantino's plan to open FIFA's premium tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors; the project failed, and last week Infantino apologised. In a joint letter, the confederations wrote that football 'does not belong to anyone individually' and that leadership is 'not property'. At the time, Sheikh Salman also clashed with Qatar, which backed Infantino. In Tokyo, he acknowledged past disagreements but called to 'move forward', noting that 'football is strongest when we work together'.

The picture before the election

Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and is running for a fourth and final term; the election will take place in March, with the candidacy deadline on 18 November. According to AFP's count, by the congress 87 of the 211 national federations had already backed him directly or through statements from their confederations. He is supported by CAF, most of CONMEBOL, as well as Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia — host of the 2034 World Cup. Jordan, by contrast, came out against. UEFA and CONCACAF have not changed their opposition; many European associations withdrew their support for Infantino, partly because of his close relationship with US President Donald Trump. No serious rivals have yet been nominated for the election, while a significant share of the votes at the FIFA congress comes from Asia.