If Infantino goes, who might replace him as Fifa president?

What the report says

BBC Sport Football reports that pressure is mounting on Fifa president Gianni Infantino after he dropped plans to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors. The article says he is still expected to seek re-election in March for what would be a fourth and final term, but support from national associations has begun to unravel and the Fifa Council could, in theory, push him to resign at an emergency meeting.

The piece focuses on who could emerge if Infantino leaves. It highlights Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, who has experience with the 2026 World Cup and has long been associated with governance reform. It also points to Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the AFC president, whose confederation has grown under his leadership, and who has already been critical of Infantino’s management style.

Another possible figure is Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris St-Germain and chair of the European Clubs group, although BBC Sport notes that sources close to him say he does not want the job. Mattias Grafstrom, Fifa’s secretary general and Infantino’s former chief of staff, is also mentioned as an increasingly influential insider, though his close ties to the current president may count against him.

BBC Sport says Fifa’s next president will be chosen at the organisation’s congress in Morocco next March, with candidates required to declare by 18 November. The discussion matters because the outcome could shape Fifa’s direction on governance, investment and the balance of power within world football.