FIFA President, Gianni Infantino re-elected for the third time
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino has been re-elected as the president of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for the third time until 2027.
The 52-year-old Swiss-Italian lawyer secured a third term in office by acclamation after running unopposed at the FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, on Thursday.
This time, Gianni is sitting as the third FIFA President in a roll, the second time he would enjoy an unopposed race to the football’s biggest job.
Speaking on his re-election, Infantino promised to continue serving the sport and all the countries under the federation.
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What FIFA President has to say on reelection
“Being President of FIFA is an incredible honour, an incredible privilege. It is also a great, great responsibility,” he said.
“I’m truly humbled and touched by your support. I promise you I will continue serving FIFA, serving football all over the world, serving all 211 member associations of FIFA.”
Furthermore, Gianni Infantino also has a reputation for showcasing his relationships with politicians — including the likes of Donald J. Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. In Kigali, he was joined at the congress by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
Part of his opening remarks on Thursday, recalled how he had traveled to Rwanda to lobby African officials during his first campaign to become FIFA president eight years ago.
Meanwhile, Gianni Infantino was first elected as FIFA president during the 2016 FIFA extraordinary congress on February 26, to complete the term of Sepp Blatter, who was forced out of office amid the corruption scandal.
Then the former UEFA general secretary was re-elected in 2019.
FIFA had earlier approved the expansion of the men’s World Cup with 40 more matches, starting with the 2026 edition hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.
The decision would increase the number of matches to 104 instead of the 64 games already proposed with the earlier format.