What happens if Fifa president Gianni Infantino quits and who could replace him?

GIANNI INFANTINO’S future as president of Fifa is uncertain. Last month, he claimed that the World Cup he had delivered was the ‘greatest ever’, but now he could be on the brink of losing his job at the top of world football. Gianni Infantino is at risk of losing his job as Fifa president Credit: PA PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi (middle) is one of the names rumoured to replace him Credit: Getty Just weeks after the World Cup came to a close, Infantino announced plans to sell off stakes in Fifa competitions to private investment. It was condemned by the football world, with governing bodies across the globe voting to boycott future World Cups if it were to happen. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! The plans have since been scrapped, with Infantino releasing a statement saying that the project had “created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.” However, that hasn’t stopped the barrage on the Fifa president’s future. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that Infantino is “the wrong man” to lead Fifa. Uefa has also released a statement stating it has lost confidence in his leadership – Concacaf and AFC have also offered similarly damning declarations. Now, Infantino’s future is in question – SunSport has all the details for how that could happen and what would happen next. How could Gianni Infantino lose his job as Fifa president? One of the ways Infantino could lose his job would be through a vote of no confidence. Most read in Sport This would need 43 of the 211 member associations to call for it, but they need a credible alternative before doing so. If this happens, the Extraordinary Fifa Congress would be gathered, which usually deals with decisions such as leadership elections. A new candidate would need to be named by November 18, which is four months before a leadership vote at Fifa’s African headquarters in Rabat, Morocco on March 18, 2027. The other way for Infantino to be displaced would be to lose the next leadership election next year. It would take 106 votes against him, but he was reelected unopposed in both 2019 and 2023. The last Fifa president to be unseated in an election was in 1974, when former English FA secretary Sir Stanley Rous lost to Brazil’s Joao Havelange – he went on to become the second-longest-serving Fifa president in history. Who could replace Gianni Infantino as Fifa president? Sources indicate there are three potential candidates to run against Infantino for the Fifa presidency. Victor Montagliani The current Concacaf president (North, Central America and Caribbean football’s governing body) and vice-president of Fifa has been rumoured to be the main contender to rival Infantino. Montagliani was the president of Canadian soccer from 2012 to 2016, championing the delivery of the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup and the creation of the Canadian Premier League. He was also heavily involved in the early proposal of Canada’s bid for the 2026 World Cup, which became the first World Cup to be held across three countries, including the United States and Mexico. Since 2016, he has been the president of Concacaf, where he was the major figure in delivering an expanded Copa America in 2024. Canada’s Victor Montagliani is said to be prepared to run for the Fifa presidency Credit: Getty Mattias Grafstrom Fifa’s secretary general is another potential candidate who could run against Infantino. The Swede was appointed the Fifa Chief of Staff in 2016 following Infantino’s election, and has become an increasingly stronger voice in the years since. Grafstrom became the deputy secretary general under Fatma Samoura in 2019 before being promoted in 2024. However, there could be a feeling he is too close to Infantino under the current circumstances, potentially ruling him out of the race. Mattias Grafstrom was also a very visible figure throughout the World Cup this summer Credit: PA Nasser Al-Khelaifi Al-Khelaifi may be a more well-known figure in European football, due to his ownership of PSG. He is also the chairman of the European Football Clubs, which he took over in 2021 after the disastrous European Super League. He expanded the organisation to more than 800 members – Real Madrid are the only big club in Europe to not be a part of it. It is said that the PSG owner would be a huge rival to Infantino, but he has reportedly said he doesn’t want the role. Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been the president and CEO of PSG since 2011 Credit: AFP Comment now