Infantino says he has backing of 'vast, vast majority' at Under-15 World Cup interview
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he has the backing of the "vast, vast majority" of football in an interview with the BBC at the Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan released on October 24, 2026. He made the comments while preparing to seek re-election next year, despite the collapse of his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Infantino is seeking re-election next year as head of football’s world governing body and is facing attempts to force him to stand down after a divisive commercial proposal. He angered football leaders in Europe, North America and Asia by proposing to sell profits from the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary. The proposal failed and drew sustained criticism from several regions.
Speaking to the BBC, Infantino said: "Well you know I was elected by 211 member associations from all over the world," Infantino said. "I think what is important is that in an organization like FIFA, there can be different views, different points of view. "But if we are serious about democracy, about the democratic process, about believing that everyone has the same vote and the same voice all over the world, that football belongs to everyone, if we are serious about that, then we need to respect as well the views of the vast, vast majority."
His remarks followed an apology he made to FIFA’s ruling council last week for what he described as "mistakes" in his secretive investment plan for the World Cup. Despite that apology, European delegates said they left the council meeting disappointed about what they saw as a lack of clarity.
On Friday (October 23), the Asian Football Confederation endorsed Infantino for another term as FIFA president. The endorsement was described in the report as an apparent turnaround in the AFC’s stance from two months earlier when it had criticised him for a breach of trust.
Infantino is standing for a final term in office in March. The deadline for potential candidates to come forward to stand against him is November 18.
