France withdraws support for Infantino ahead of 2027 FIFA election

The French Football Federation has withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for 18 March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco. The decision was approved unanimously by the FFF executive committee at a meeting in Paris on Thursday 10 September, following a request from federation president Philippe Diallo.

The reversal comes less than three months after the FFF backed Infantino on 29 June. At that stage, the FIFA president was the only declared candidate for a new term. The French federation has now concluded that the conditions attached to its support no longer exist, citing a series of developments involving FIFA’s governance and its president.

The immediate trigger was a plan revealed at the end of July to create a commercial company that would include, among other assets, the rights to the World Cup. The proposed structure would have opened the company’s capital to outside investors. European federations viewed the idea as a major decision about the future of football that required full information, extensive consultation and a transparent process.

The project has since been abandoned after coordinated opposition within UEFA and engagement with other confederations. Its withdrawal has not resolved the wider dispute. The FFF said the episode had damaged the image and unity of football and showed that FIFA’s governance did not match the importance of the sport it oversees.

France is now aligned with a growing group of European federations that have withdrawn their backing for Infantino. England and Italy are among the countries reported to have taken the same position, while Sweden, Scotland and Belgium have also been identified as having ended their support. The FFF’s move places it alongside UEFA’s leadership in seeking changes to the way global football is governed.

The federation is calling for a broad reform programme developed with the confederations, national associations and other parts of the game, including players and supporters. Its stated objectives are to restore confidence, improve transparency, protect the independence of football’s governing bodies and establish higher standards of conduct. The reform should also address how the sport combines sporting excellence with solidarity and continued development.

The FFF plans to begin consultations in the coming days with French and international figures known for their expertise in governance, including beyond the sporting sector. Those discussions are intended to produce collective proposals for a fundamental transformation of FIFA’s governance. France, which describes itself as a founding member of FIFA, wants to take part in shaping the debate over the regulation and development of world football rather than simply oppose the current leadership.

Infantino’s political position is therefore weaker than it was when the FFF signed its June declaration, but the election contest remains open. The European opposition has not yet settled on a candidate capable of challenging him. Victor Montagliani, the 60-year-old president of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, has emerged as a possible option because of his standing within football’s governing structures. He has not formally launched a campaign.

Any challenge must be declared before 18 November 2026, leaving more than a year before the Rabat congress. The FFF’s withdrawal does not itself determine the election, but it adds one of Europe’s most influential federations to the group demanding a different direction. The next phase will centre on whether that opposition can turn its governance concerns into a shared programme and identify a candidate before the deadline.