Wales' bold break with FIFA challenges Infantino’s re‑election

Wales has become the first national association to publicly withdraw its backing for Gianni Infantino’s re‑election as FIFA President, a move that underscores a growing rift between the global governing body and a single member’s governance concerns. The decision arrives as the FIFA presidency endures a storm of criticism over a £3.1 billion World Cup stake sale, highlighting the financial controversy at the heart of the dispute. By LUKE POWER, SPORTS REPORTER, the story was published at 08:19 BST on 3 August 2026 and updated at 08:52 BST the same day, providing a timely record of the unfolding drama. Infantino’s future came under intense scrutiny after The Times revealed his plan to sell the £3.1 billion stake in the World Cup to private investors, a proposal that sparked immediate opposition. UEFA, the North, Central America and Caribbean Confederation (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) all voiced strong objections, prompting Infantino to abandon the scheme. As of July, Infantino had reportedly been endorsed by almost all of FIFA’s 211 member associations for re‑election; candidates must be submitted by 18 November and the vote will take place at FIFA’s congress in March. The Football Association of Wales issued a statement confirming its withdrawal of support, citing recent failures in governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement, and declaring that Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW. Gianni Infantino has served as FIFA President since 2016 after replacing Sepp Blatter and is seeking a fourth term, but his authority has been rocked by controversies including the resignations of senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour. UEFA and CONCACAF have called on Infantino to quit, yet Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Lebanon reiterated their confidence, keeping the vote of no confidence out of reach despite UEFA and CONCACAF together representing 90 of the 211 members, above the 20 percent threshold but short of a majority. Infantino retains support from Africa, while South America is expected to follow; AFC members would be required to oust the President, and New Zealand could join Europe and CONCACAF’s resistance, whereas the ten Oceania Football Confederation members are unlikely to follow. Infantino wrote to all FIFA nations claiming they would receive £30 million if they backed his plan, which involved selling stakes to a group led by Josh Kushner, brother of Donald Trump’s son‑in‑law Jared. UEFA welcomed the abandonment, stating it welcomes FIFA’s decision to withdraw the stake‑sale plan; the English FA added full support for UEFA’s position and called for a robust review of FIFA’s leadership; CONCACAF said it welcomes the withdrawal of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise. Infantino responded that the FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to strengthen member associations, but it has created divisions and will not proceed. A vote of no confidence can be triggered by 46 FIFA member associations; UEFA alone has 55 members, and Wales’ withdrawal marks the first step in what could become a broader challenge to Infantino’s re‑election.