Asian Football Confederation Backs Gianni Infantino for FIFA Presidency

Gianni Infantino secured a political advantage on October 23, 2026, when the Asian Football Confederation endorsed his bid for a new term as FIFA president, reversing an earlier stance following failed commercial plans, according to the article.

The Shift in Tokyo

Speaking at an extraordinary congress in Tokyo, AFC President jeque Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa embraced Infantino and publicly confirmed the 47-member body’s backing, the article reported. The endorsement arrives just months after the Asian governing body joined European and North and Central American counterparts in condemning Infantino for what they termed a fundamental violation of trust. The 47 member associations could prove key to securing a fourth mandate for Infantino, who leads the global football governing body, though not every member is guaranteed to follow the directive of the Bahraini president, who noted that he believes the majority will. Reafirmamos nuestro pleno compromiso de apoyarlo a usted y a tu liderazgo mientras busca un nuevo mandato como presidente de la FIFA, stated the sheikh, adding, Has visitado muchos países en Asia. He hablado con muchos miembros dentro de este continente. Conozco su sentir y creo que su compromiso también es claro.

That earlier rift stemmed from a scrapped 4.2 billion dollar plan to sell private equity stakes in tournament commercial rights—specifically the FIFA Forward Enterprise project to sell a 20 percent stake in World Cup commercial rights to private investors, which was withdrawn in July after generating deep division. Addressing past tensions at the congress, the sheikh remarked, Gianni, quiero dejarlo claro: sí, tuvimos algunos asuntos de los que hablamos en el pasado. Pero no relacionemos las dos cosas. Creo que en los últimos días, cuando nos reunimos en Zúrich, usted dejó claro que hay un verdadero entendimiento entre nosotros. El pasado, estoy seguro, es parte de nuestra historia. Todos, estoy seguro, hemos aprendido lecciones importantes de ello. Lo que importa ahora es cómo avanzamos juntos. Creo que todos tienen preguntas y estoy seguro de que las respuestas estarán disponibles, ya sea para nosotros en Asia o para el resto del mundo. Infantino responded at the podium, stating, Cuando haces muchas cosas, haces —con suerte, como hicimos, muchas cosas buenas— pero también cometes algunos errores. Lo importante, sin embargo, es, como usted dijo, aprender, aprender siempre de la experiencia, de los errores, disculparse, seguir adelante, reunirse, unirse, construir para nuestro futuro, para su futuro. Following a joke from the sheikh suggesting Infantino might have a clone due to his relentless travel schedule, the session concluded with the proclamation, Como una familia asiática estamos listos para avanzar, unidos en su apoyo, Gianni. Quiero dejar eso claro hoy.

Member Associations Receive Increased Funding per Cycle

The sheikh noted the travel pace by telling Infantino, Gracias por estar aquí. Sé que ha estado en todas partes. No sé cómo puede hacerlo. Pero estoy seguro de que usted estableció un récord por estar en casi todos los países. Under financial adjustments slated for the upcoming fiscal cycle, member associations are set to receive 25 million dollars every four years, a steep increase from the historical baseline of 1 million dollars per cycle.

Infantino stated that before his presidency, each member received 1 million dollars every four years, and starting next year, it would be 25 million dollars.

Upcoming Electoral Deadlines

Infantino currently faces no registered challengers for the presidency ahead of the November 18 deadline for candidate nominations, the article reported. The official vote is scheduled to take place during the FIFA congress on March 18, 2027, as reported.

While major European federations, including England and Germany, maintain criticisms of Infantino’s leadership following the Zurich meetings, the support from Asia and Africa positions the incumbent executive securely for another mandate.

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