FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces a bit of an uphill battle in his bid to remain atop football’s international governing body. His plans to sell stakes in the 2030 World Cup blew up spectacularly in his face, amid backlash across the board.
Still, Infantino is likely to remain at the helm despite his exit odds surging.
A study by The Action Network found that the odds of Infantino departing from FIFA spiked 24% to a probability of 39%. The jump is directly related to the botched plan and the subsequent pushback.
Despite the very public setback, the market believes that Infantino will remain as FIFA president through January 1, 2027. It’s worth noting that the 56-year-old will be up for reelection on March 18, 2027, hoping to land a fourth term.
Infantino’s reelection seemed like a slam dunk following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup. However, his recent missteps have dampened his chances of winning a fourth term. As it stands, Infantino is still the favorite to lead FIFA, especially after the FIFA board pledged its support to the incumbent president. As ESPN noted, the board had “given their support to the embattled president.”
If that’s the case, Infantino could retain what seems like a tenuous grasp on his role atop the football organization.
Fans Not Happy with Infantino
While football’s political structure may be relatively forgiving, it turns out that fans are much tougher. The Action Network’s study reported the following findings regarding Infantino’s standing with fans online.
- 85.22% of non-neutral online sentiment was negative, with criticism centered on lost trust, greed, corruption, and calls for his removal.
- Disgust and anger accounted for 60.54% of the classified emotional response, with disgust at 31.67% and anger at 28.87%.
- Surprise made up 15.65% of the emotional response, reflecting how quickly a presidency previously seen as secure has come under renewed scrutiny.
- Only 14.78% of sentiment was positive, and much of that positivity came from people welcoming pushback against Infantino or the prospect of change, rather than support for him.
The study concluded that Infantino staying is the likeliest scenario despite the fact that his unpopularity continues to grow.
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FIFA Gaining Negative Optics
While there is certainly a case for Infantino’s return based on practicality, the fact is that FIFA will continue to gain negative optics. Corruption scandals have rocked the world’s top football association in the past, leaving the organization with multiple black eyes.
Infantino was supposed to help clean up that image. And for the most part, he has. But this latest miscalculation has done little to boost FIFA’s public perception. Once confirmed to another term. Infantino will have to find ways to reclaim the ground he had already claimed with fans gradually. It might be a tall order, but it’s something he will have to do lest the sport face needless challenges moving forward.
Ultimately, boosting FIFA’s worldwide brand perception is the single most important thing the organization can do to ensure that fans remain engaged with the game. The good thing is that Infantino will have four years to hype the next World Cup.
Infantino Exit Odds Surge, But Still Expected to Lead FIFA