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Gianni Infantino’s Another Term as FIFA President in Doubt? Wales Withdraws Support After Failed FIFA Stake Sale Plan

Samira Vishwas | August 3, 2026 8:24 PM CST

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino’s possibility of being re-elected remains in severe doubt as Wales have declared its intention to withdraw support for the new term from 2027 to 2031. The development comes in the wake of Infantino’s failed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights.

FIFA’s ambitious plan to unlock up to $4.2 billion from ‌private investors by selling a roughly 20% stake in a new entity overseeing competitions including the World Cup ended in retreat on Friday after fierce resistance from stakeholders. With the plan abandoned, attention has turned to the potential repercussions for Infantino, whose bid for another term as FIFA president could face increased scrutiny following the failed initiative.

Gianni Infantino’s tenure lamented for Failure in Good Governance

Wales ⁠became the first national federation to formally withdraw its support for Infantino.

Reuters ⁠has contacted FIFA for comment.

Infantino is under unprecedented fire after regional confederations UEFA and CONCACAF said on Saturday they had lost confidence in his leadership. The European governing body, which led the backlash to Infantino’s plans and welcomed the decision to scrap it, did not confirm media reports that it was preparing to take ⁠legal action against FIFA over the issue.

UEFA said it had sent a dument presevation order, which stops the destruction of emails, files, or data when an investigation is expected. Infantino had said in April he intended ⁠to seek re-election for a fourth term as FIFA chief. Since taking over from Sepp Blatter in 2016, the Swiss has been re-elected unopposed twice and appeared in control of the ⁠body.

While his re-election for the 2027-31 term had appeared a formality, experts told Reuters the backlash against the failed proposal exposed dissatisfaction among FIFA members and could complicate his path ahead of March’s Congress in Morocco.