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Gianni Infantino’s position as FIFA president is becoming increasingly difficult to defend, with Wales and England now set to withdraw their backing for the Swiss-Italian after he abandoned his controversial proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

UEFA was among several football governing bodies to say it had lost confidence in Infantino after its 55 member associations made clear they would not take part in any FIFA competition unless plans for the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) were dropped. They also confirmed they were prepared to boycott the next World Cup, a stance that ultimately forced Infantino into a late climbdown on Friday evening.

Concacaf, the governing body for North America and the Caribbean, repeated its own concerns over the lack of consultation and rejected the proposal. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) did the same, calling for an “urgent review of its governance” at FIFA, adding further pressure on Infantino.

With some of his previously loyal bases of support now beginning to turn against him less than a year before the next FIFA presidential election in March 2027, the question is growing louder: could this be the beginning of the end for Infantino?

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has been one of Gianni Infantino’s rivals on several major issues.

There are increasing calls from UEFA member associations to unite behind a candidate who could run against Infantino, and European football’s president Ceferin appears one of the strongest-qualified options.

A long-time rival of Infantino, Ceferin most recently did not attend the 2026 World Cup final after the tournament was hit by controversy, most notably the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban following a “review” request from Trump, which UEFA said “crossed a red line”.

The Slovenian lawyer has held office since 2016, but is understood to be keen to remain in his present role. He had originally ruled out running for a third term next spring, at least until 3031, but is now willing to seek re-election if no other candidates come forward.

At present, though, he does not appear eager to challenge Infantino for the FIFA presidency, which has prompted UEFA members to consider other names.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is also being discussed as a possible challenger to Infantino.

It is understood that Paris Saint-Germain president Al-Khelaifi is currently being considered as a possible opponent to Infantino.

Al-Khelaifi, whose main role is as chairman of Qatar Sports Investment, holds a number of senior positions in football. Following the collapse of the failed European Super League, he was elevated to the top of the sport’s main club body, European Football Clubs, which voiced “serious concern” over Infantino’s sell-off proposal.

It has been reported that several UEFA federations, including Belgium and Poland, would support Al-Khelaifi, seeing him as the candidate with the best chance of unseating Infantino in next year’s presidential election.

However, Al-Khelaifi would need considerable persuasion to stand, as he currently has no ambition to run for the office.

A representative for Al-Khelaifi said: “Nasser has absolutely no ambition, no intention, no interest in the FIFA role, and he will continue to discreetly support all the institutions of world and European football.”

UEFA members are also looking at the possibility of backing Legia Warsaw owner Mioduski.

The Polish lawyer has been suggested by senior federation officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Spain, according to reports.

But at this stage, he would not be the preferred option in his own country, with the Polish FA understood to favour Al-Khelaifi.

Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has also long been seen as someone with ambitions to lead FIFA.

Outside UEFA, Concacaf president Montagliani has been mentioned as a possible successor to Infantino, with his desire to one day become FIFA president well known.

The Canadian was unanimously re-elected to lead the confederation in 2023, and his current term runs until 2027. Up to now, his main priority has been to seek re-election again next year.

But according to reports, Montagliani is “making moves” to accelerate those ambitions and challenge Infantino for the FIFA presidency in next March’s election. Support appears to be growing for the Canadian.

Montagliani’s Concacaf followed UEFA in coming together to firmly reject FIFA’s proposal, although it stopped short of threatening a boycott.

Infantino was also seen speaking to Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.

The AFC has likewise publicly opposed Infantino’s plans, dealing a significant blow to the incumbent FIFA president by withdrawing support from what had once been a loyal stronghold for the Swiss-Italian.

AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, a Bahraini football administrator who is also senior vice-president of the FIFA Council, described FIFA’s failure to consult its members as “totally unacceptable” in a letter sent to the regional body’s 47 member federations on Thursday, one day before the confederation united to reject the proposal.

That follow-up statement notably called for “an urgent review of its governance”, increasing the pressure on Infantino further. That naturally raises another question: could Sheikh Salman himself emerge as a challenger?

His term as AFC president is due to end in 2027.

Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, is another outsider name worth watching.

This may be a long shot, but it could still be one to keep an eye on.

The legendary former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has become increasingly involved in the political side of football through his role as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development.

He has never been afraid to push for radical reform, with his “daylight offside rule” being trialled in Canada earlier this year.

And with some fans now voicing concern over his close association with Infantino and, by extension, this World Cup proposal, could Wenger decide to stand against the FIFA president in order to protect his own reputation from being damaged?