Victor Montagliani to Seek New Concacaf Term, Ending FIFA Challenge Hopes

Victor Montagliani has told Concacaf staff and most of the confederation’s 41 member associations that he will seek another term as president, a decision that takes a potential challenger to Gianni Infantino out of the FIFA race.

Concacaf vote comes first

The 61-year-old Canadian will stand in Concacaf’s presidential election in the opening months of next year. That contest will take place shortly before FIFA members elect their president on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco.

Montagliani had been viewed, especially by figures in Europe, as a credible candidate to oppose Infantino. Instead, he has chosen to remain focused on North and Central America and the Caribbean, where he has led Concacaf for a decade.

His re-election bid gives him a chance to extend a tenure that began after the arrest of former president Jeffrey Webb amid the major bribery and racketeering investigation that engulfed the confederation. Montagliani entered office promising greater openness and has overseen a period of institutional recovery.

FIFA field narrows

Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and now faces fewer prominent potential opponents as preparations build for the Rabat vote.

• Montagliani’s decision ends speculation that he could leave Concacaf for FIFA’s top job.
• Aleksander Ceferin has also ruled himself out by deciding to pursue a fourth term as UEFA president.
• Former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega has said he plans to enter the FIFA contest.
• Vega must still obtain formal nominations from five separate member associations to become a candidate.

Ceferin confirmed his UEFA plans during a gathering of the organisation’s 55 associations in Berlin. The Slovenian’s position represents a change from February 2024, when he publicly said he would not seek another term.

Attention turns to governance reform

Rather than launch presidential campaigns, Montagliani and Ceferin are expected to work together on proposals designed to reduce the power concentrated in FIFA’s presidency.

They have joined Asian Football Confederation president Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa in seeking an independent assessment of the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan. Their wider push includes giving the FIFA Council a more formal role in key decisions and increasing the influence of stakeholders who believe they have been marginalised.

What happens next

Concacaf will hold its leadership election before FIFA’s March 18 presidential vote in Morocco, while UEFA’s members will assess Ceferin’s fourth-term bid. The immediate focus for Montagliani is retaining his regional post; for FIFA’s opponents, the task is now to find a candidate capable of assembling enough association support to challenge Infantino.