Pressure is mounting on FIFA President, Gianni Infantino after Wales, Serbia and Sweden formally withdrew their support for his re-election, with England understood to be preparing to follow suit. 

The wave of opposition comes just days after FIFA abandoned a controversial plan to sell off a stake in a new commercial entity that would oversee competitions including the World Cup, a proposal that had drawn fierce resistance from stakeholders across three continents and threats of a boycott from UEFA.

The Football Association of Wales became the first national body to formally pull its backing for Infantino’s candidacy for the 2027 to 2031 term, citing recent failures in governance, leadership and sound judgement that it said had cost him the confidence of the association.

The statement stressed that failing to put the interests of football first was a lapse the body could not accept. Serbia and Sweden soon followed with similarly worded withdrawals, adding to a growing sense that Infantino’s previously uncontested path to a fourth term is now under serious threat.

Before the crisis erupted, more than 200 of FIFA’s 211 member associations had reportedly submitted letters endorsing Infantino, with only Germany, Romania and Norway among UEFA’s 55 members holding out.

That consensus has since evaporated, with UEFA’s leadership issuing a strongly worded statement referencing secret schemes and shabby backroom deals, making clear that European football wants change at the top of world football’s governing body even after FIFA reversed course on the disputed sale.

Reports suggest more federations could withdraw their support individually or in a coordinated wave in the coming days, a move that would effectively amount to a vote of no confidence.

Should 43 associations back a formal push, it could trigger an Extraordinary FIFA Congress, though observers say such a step is unlikely unless organisers are confident of the numbers. European officials are already said to be scouting for a credible candidate to challenge Infantino, though any contender would need substantial backing from outside Europe, particularly from Asia and North America, since the Confederation of African Football and South America’s governing body remain firmly behind the embattled FIFA president.

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