Asian football confederation backs Infantino for new term
The support could bring a fourth term for the FIFA president closer, although the election is not until March.
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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) supports Gianni Infantino in his bid to become president of world football governing body FIFA again. The AFC expressed its support on Friday during an extraordinary congress in Tokyo.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa expressed the Asian confederation’s full support for Infantino. The confederation has 47 members, making the backing a significant bloc in the FIFA election.
Infantino has headed FIFA since 2016 and is aiming for a fourth term. The election will take place in March. Candidates can register until 18 November, according to Associated Press; according to the news agency, no one had officially declared themselves against Infantino by Friday.
The support from Asia is notable because the AFC had previously, together with European football body UEFA and the North and Central American confederation, spoken critically of Infantino. The confederations then referred to a fundamental breakdown in trust.
According to AP, the trigger was a since-withdrawn $4.2 billion plan for private investment in future World Cups and other FIFA tournaments. According to AP, Infantino apologised last week in Zurich to the 37 members of the FIFA Council, which he himself chairs. According to AP, he spoke of mistakes made, without the plan’s precise terms having been made public.
Sheikh Salman said on Friday that the earlier problems should not determine future cooperation. According to the news agency, he did indicate that not every AFC member would necessarily follow the line, but that the majority was expected to support Infantino.
This primarily changes the political starting position for the FIFA election. The support is not a formal election result and does not mean that all Asian football associations will vote the same way. Potential challengers can also come forward before the deadline. The development does show that, despite the criticism, Infantino is once again trying to build broad support among national football associations.
Also show the region and a close-up
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The AFC has expressed support for Infantino through its president.
- The FIFA election has yet to take place; nominations remain open.
- The support follows earlier criticism of Infantino by several football confederations and a withdrawn investment plan.
Left
Arguments From a left-wing perspective, FIFA should be governed more transparently and democratically. Support from confederations must not be a blank cheque when major financial plans are prepared without sufficient public and institutional oversight.
Values Transparency, checks and balances, the interests of workers and supporters, and accountability for international sports organisations.
Consequences Re-election without reforms could further damage the trust of supporters, players and national associations; stricter oversight rules could, however, make decision-making slower.
Centre
Arguments Continuity can be valuable as long as FIFA improves its procedures and the election remains open to challengers. The AFC’s support is a political indication, but not a substitute for a formal vote and oversight by FIFA’s members.
Values Institutional continuity, careful procedures, administrative stability and feasible reforms.
Consequences A broad coalition around Infantino could keep FIFA governable, but it will remain credible only if earlier criticism is seriously investigated and future plans are clearly explained.
Right
Arguments National football associations should be able to decide for themselves who leads FIFA, without European criticism automatically being decisive. From this perspective, Infantino deserves to be judged on results and support among members, not solely on controversy surrounding a failed plan.
Values National control, an electoral mandate, administrative effectiveness and restraint regarding external interference.
Consequences A new term could give FIFA room to implement long-term plans, but concentrating power around one president could weaken internal checks and balances within the organisation.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key facts were directly checked against the current AP report. The text clearly distinguishes between the statement of support and the election, which has not yet been held.
- confirmed The AFC expressed support on 23 October 2026 for a new term for Gianni Infantino as FIFA president. — Associated Press describes the statement of support by AFC president Sheikh Salman during the congress in Tokyo. source
- confirmed The AFC has 47 members. — This number appears in the AP report. source
- confirmed The FIFA election will take place in March and nominations close on 18 November. — These dates are mentioned by AP. source
- confirmed Infantino is seeking a fourth term. — AP states that Infantino is seeking a fourth term. source
- confirmed The AFC had previously criticised Infantino because of a withdrawn $4.2 billion plan. — AP describes the earlier breakdown in trust, the withdrawn plan and the stated amount. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the AFC president backed Infantino on 23 October, that the AFC has 47 members and that the FIFA election will take place in March. It is uncertain how many AFC members will actually follow the recommendation; there is not yet an election result and further candidates can still register.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „fifa gianni infantino”
- NU.nl — „fifa gianni infantino”
- De Telegraaf — „fifa gianni infantino”