Infantino loses Ireland and New Zealand backing as global support crumbles over World Cup sell-off

The Republic of Ireland and New Zealand have officially withdrawn their support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA president, deepening a governance crisis triggered by his failed attempt to sell private stakes in the World Cup to outside investors.

The two nations join England, Wales, Scotland and a growing number of European football associations in formally opposing Infantino ahead of the March 2027 presidential election. UEFA has reinforced its confederation-wide boycott of FIFA competitions, stating that no assurances have been given that attempts “to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.” The global players’ union, FIFPRO, has also turned on Infantino, accusing him of a “profound abuse of presidential power” in a strongly worded statement.

The English FA confirmed that an apology letter circulated by Infantino did nothing to alter its position, with the association citing “deep concern about the lack of process and governance” surrounding the sell-off scheme. The Football Association of Wales was among the first to act, stating that Infantino had “lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football” following failures in “good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgment.”

Scotland’s SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell aligned his association firmly with UEFA’s collective stance, noting that “55 nations are stronger than one voice.”

Not all support has evaporated, however. Mexico and Argentina have reaffirmed their backing for the embattled president, as has CAF, the African football governing body. Their endorsements offer Infantino a foothold as he attempts to steady his position, given that African and Latin American federations collectively hold significant voting weight within FIFA’s congress.

The French Football Federation has added a further complication to UEFA’s unified front, indicating it still intends to compete at next month’s U20 Women’s World Cup despite the confederation-wide boycott — a crack in European solidarity that Infantino’s camp may look to exploit.

With the privatisation plan now scrapped and opposition mounting across multiple continents, the coming weeks are likely to prove decisive in determining whether Infantino can rebuild enough of a coalition to secure a third term in office.