Uefa President Ceferin Rules Out Fifa Bid but Demands Infantino Exit

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin ruled himself out of the running for the FIFA presidency on August 23, 2026, while warning FIFA President Gianni Infantino that he will face an election challenger in March if he does not resign.

Pressure has mounted on Infantino following opposition to his now-shelved FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which aimed to sell a 21 percent stake in FIFA competition rights to private investors. UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation accused Infantino of deception, while all four British home nations and the Republic of Ireland withdrew their political support.

Speaking on the podcast "The Rest is Politics," the 58-year-old Slovenian administrator confirmed he will not seek the top role at FIFA.

"I'm not interested because of two reasons," Čeferin said. "One reason is that I love UEFA and I love working here, and I think that at a certain point ... it's time to also enjoy life a bit."

Čeferin added that remaining in his current position preserves his standing during ongoing governance disputes.

"And the second point is, my credibility is much, much higher if I'm not interested in the position," Čeferin said.

Addressing Infantino's options ahead of the upcoming election in Rabat, Morocco, Čeferin outlined two potential pathways for the FIFA leader, noting he has not spoken to Infantino since the controversy began.

"One option is that he realises that he doesn't have the support, and that's not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches," Čeferin said.

The UEFA chief expressed certainty that an opponent would step forward if Infantino seeks re-election.

"And the second option that he goes to the elections in March, but in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him," Čeferin said. "I don't know yet who."

Dismissing claims that European football federations are acting out of self-interest, Čeferin criticized FIFA's narrative framing.

"What I hear is that they [FIFA] play on, you know, 'arrogant Europe is against us,'" Čeferin said. "'They have enough money, but I help the small and the poor,' and stuff like that."

He noted that Infantino previously served as UEFA secretary general before taking the FIFA leadership role in 2016.

"But I think someone should remind him that he is a European -- and that he was supported by UEFA, which he forgot," Čeferin said.

In a separate segment on the podcast "The Rest is Politics: Leading," Čeferin compared the commercialization attempt to the 2021 breakaway European Super League attempt.

"I think this plan is even worse than the Super League plan," Čeferin said. "In the first case, super-important clubs wanted to do their own league, which is wrong and would destroy football. But in this case, football would be literally sold."

He expressed relief that member federations blocked the private equity structure before implementation.

"I'm absolutely sure that the [FFE] plan is dead," Čeferin said. "For me, the most important thing is that we stopped another try to sell the sport. It's hard to imagine what kind of people would sell the sport that belongs to everyone."

Čeferin also addressed political interventions in football governance, referencing U.S. President Donald Trump's public comments about contacting Infantino regarding a red card suspension for American player Folarin Balogun during the World Cup.

"To be honest, I think you are naive if you think that a politician like that, or any politician, is your good friend," Čeferin said. "The moment you are a problem, you stop being a friend of a politician."

He criticized the disregard for established disciplinary frameworks following the incident.

"That was more than shocking," Čeferin said. "We have rules and if you don't respect your own rules, then the game doesn't make any sense. That's shocking and, trust me, almost everybody was shocked. Just not everybody dared to speak."

Infantino maintained public appearances over the weekend, responding "See you at the hairdressers" to questions regarding his potential resignation while visiting the Dominican Republic, before traveling to Paris to attend the Esports World Cup closing ceremony alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.