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FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces mounting calls to resign over scrapped commercial proposal

European and regional soccer leaders push for Infantino's exit after a plan to sell future World Cup commercial stakes collapsed.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 02:15 UTC3 reports

The short version

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to step down, warning he will face an election challenger in March if he stays.
Six Nordic soccer federations announced they have lost confidence in Infantino and demanded binding commitments against private ownership of competitions.
The backlash follows an abandoned plan to spin off FIFA's commercial rights to private investors, which led three confederations to accuse Infantino of deception.
Challengers have until November 18 to submit nominations ahead of the presidential vote scheduled for March in Morocco.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin stated he will not run for the FIFA presidency himself but called for Gianni Infantino to resign or face a challenger in the March election.[Associated Press]
Six Nordic soccer associations—representing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faeroe Islands—issued a joint statement declaring they have lost confidence in Infantino's leadership.[Associated Press]
UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF accused Infantino of deception regarding the now-withdrawn $20 billion FIFA Forward Enterprise project to sell commercial rights to private investors led by Joshua Kushner.[Associated Press · Associated Press]
FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour was dismissed after releasing public criticism of the investment proposal and Infantino's leadership.[Associated Press]
FIFA established a November 18 nomination deadline for candidates contesting the presidency at the election congress in Rabat, Morocco.[Associated Press · Associated Press]

It remains unknown who will launch a formal bid against Infantino before the November 18 candidacy deadline.[Associated Press]