UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has called on FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to step down, warning that the embattled Swiss administrator will face a serious challenger if he seeks re-election at the next FIFA Congress, scheduled for March in Morocco. Speaking on The Rest Is Politics podcast, Ceferin said Infantino had lost not just the political backing of member associations but the broader support of players, coaches, and fans — and that his position had become untenable.

The crisis at world football's governing body stems from Infantino's now-abandoned plan to sell roughly 20 percent of the rights to FIFA tournaments — including the World Cup — to private investors, with the deal projected to raise up to $4.2 billion. The proposal triggered an unprecedented backlash from UEFA, which oversees European football, as well as CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central American football, and the AFC, representing Asia. All three accused Infantino of a "fundamental breach of trust." Ceferin, who said he has had no contact with Infantino since the controversy erupted, went so far as to compare the proposal unfavourably to the European Super League plan that UEFA defeated in 2021. "Football would be literally sold," he said.

The opposition is spreading well beyond Europe. Fifteen African football associations — a region that had long been a stronghold of Infantino's support — have reportedly broken from his camp, with some approaches made to FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström about whether he might stand as an alternative candidate. Grafström has not commented publicly. FIFA vice-president Sándor Csányi, a Hungarian football official, also withdrew his support, citing the dismissal of a senior FIFA official as evidence of "serious shortcomings in professional judgement, ethical standards and leadership." AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani are widely seen as the most plausible challengers should Infantino stand for re-election.

Ceferin categorically ruled himself out of any bid for the FIFA presidency, citing both his commitment to UEFA and the value of remaining above the fray. "My credibility is much, much higher if I'm not interested in the position," he said. Meanwhile, UEFA and CONCACAF have announced plans for a joint Nations League tournament involving all 96 of their member nations, potentially launching as early as 2028 — a competition that, in its current form, would operate entirely outside FIFA's structure.

Infantino, for his part, has given no indication he intends to resign. Attending meetings with football officials in the Dominican Republic over the weekend, he struck a defiant tone, saying he was "very, very happy" with the support he was receiving. Analysts note, however, that smaller associations in Asia and the Caribbean, which depend heavily on FIFA funding, may yet provide him a lifeline — meaning a March vote, if it comes to one, remains genuinely unpredictable.