Can Infantino become FIFA president for a fourth time?

Will Gianni Infantino be able to run for a fourth term as FIFA president in the 2027 presidential election? FairSquare, a non-governmental organization that works on human rights and sports governance, has opposed his candidacy. According to The Athletic, FairSquare has appealed to FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, arguing that Infantino’s candidacy for a fourth term violates the organization’s statutes.

FairSquare notes that FIFA allows a person to serve a maximum of three terms as president. Therefore, the organization is demanding that Infantino not be nominated for the next election.

The dispute concerns Infantino’s first term as president. He was elected FIFA president in 2016 and was re-elected in 2019 and 2023. However, FIFA decided in 2022 not to count his first term from 2016 to 2019. The organization cited Infantino as the reason for this, having completed the remaining term of former president Sepp Blatter.

FairSquare, however, questions the legality of this decision. According to the organization, the FIFA statutes do not provide for such an exception when calculating the presidential term. Therefore, the work from 2016 to 2019 should also be counted as a full term. This could make Infantino's candidacy for a fourth term in 2027 a violation of the term limit.

The appeal was also supported by the Norwegian Football Federation. This comes at a time when the debate surrounding the FIFA leadership is intensifying. UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF have also expressed serious objections to Infantino's management style in light of recent events.

At the same time, the Confederation of African Football is supporting Infantino for now. The organization has stated that his future should be decided by elections by FIFA's member associations.

FIFA's 211 members will elect a new president in March 2027. Infantino has officially announced that he will run again in the May 2026 election.

The FairSquare appeal could therefore increase legal and political pressure on Infantino's bid for another term. However, the final decision on whether he can run in the 2027 election will be made by the relevant FIFA bodies.