Gianni Infantino: 10 years as FIFA president

Under growing pressure after a series of controversial decisions,
Infantino is expected to seek another term in 2027

Mar 23, 1970: Giovanni Vincenzo
Infantino born in Brig, Switzerland

1997-2000: General Secretary
of International Centre for Sports
Studies (CIES)

2000: Joins UEFA

2009-16: Serves as UEFA
General Secretary – implements 
Financial Fair Play directives

2016: Elected FIFA President
following Sepp Blatter’s resignation
amid corruption scandal

THE REFORMER

2016: Initiates governance reforms
promising greater transparency and
increased development funding.
Proposes expansion of World Cup –
FIFA later approves 48-team event

Late 2010s: Signs cooperation
agreements with world organisations,
including UNESCO and WHO

2018: Keeps relatively low public
profile during Russia World Cup

2019: Re-elected FIFA President

GLOBAL EXPANSION

Early 2020s: Introduces VAR
across FIFA competitions. Launches
expanded Club World Cup and grows
Women’s World Cup to 32 teams

2022: Qatar World Cup marks
emergence as FIFA’s public face.
Delivers controversial “Today I
feel Qatari...” speech

2023: Faces scrutiny after naming
Europe, Africa and South America as
2030 co-hosts – effectively clearing 
path for Saudi Arabia 2034.
Re-elected unopposed for third term

GROWING BACKLASH

2024: Receives 33%
salary increase to 2.6m
Swiss francs plus bonus

May 2025: Arrives late
to FIFA Congress after travelling
with U.S. President Donald Trump.
UEFA accuse him of prioritising
political interests

Jul 2025: Hails Club World Cup
success, despite stadiums with
swathes of empty seats

Dec 2025:
Donald Trump
receives FIFA
Peace Prize

Jun-Jul 2026:
FIFA World Cup
drives expected
$13bn in revenue

Aug 2026: Following World Cup
overshadowed by visa disputes,
political tensions and government
intervention, FIFA’s Forward
Enterprise proposal sparks major
opposition from confederations

Sources: FIFA, BBC
Pictures: Getty
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