EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsA few weeks is a long time in soccer. On July 19, FIFA president Gianni Infantino was crowning Spain as 2026 World Cup winners and ready to undergo an election process in which he would run unopposed again and win his final term at a FIFA congress in Rabat, Morocco. But after last week's controversy, in which Infantino almost single-handedly pushed his FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan -- essentially a proposal for FIFA to sell a minority stake to a private entity that would run the men's and women's World Cups, managing their commercial interests and assets -- he has found himself under fire from several countries, confederations and people of influence within the game.Now, with those FIFA presidential elections still happening in March, Infantino's grip on his job is not as strong as it was. But if the growing rebellion manages to offer up credible challengers -- any candidates must declare and present their proposals by Nov. 18 -- who are they, and what makes them stand out?Victor Montagliani, Concacaf presidentIf you listed all the achievements of each potential presidential candidate, Montagliani would be the only one with a day named in his honor.Last year, his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, proclaimed his birthday, Sept. 12, as "Victor Montagliani Day" to honor his achievement of bringing the World Cup to Canada. "Having a day dedicated in my name is an unimaginable and deeply humbling honor that I will treasure forever," Montagliani said at the time.Montagliani is widely seen as the front-runner to replace Infantino should he stand in the March election. He can list various achievements during his 20-year career as a soccer executive. For one, he oversaw Canada's hosting of the 2015 Women's World Cup, launched the Canadian Premier League and steadied Concacaf since taking over as president in 2016. He took over Concacaf after its past two presidents had been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on corruption charges."I've been asked questions [about corruption] a lot from a Concacaf perspective, and I understand why," Montagliani told reporters during his run for that job. "The day I don't get asked that question any more, and the day we don't have a legal report anymore, is probably the day that we've fully turned the page. Let's not fool ourselves. There's a longer road ahead."Montagliani, 60, will have to do similar trust-building work at FIFA should he get the top job. His position as Concacaf president could work in his favor, coming from outside of Europe; he is seen as a candidate whom countries from across the sport could gather around.However, Montagliani is not immune to controversy. He was the director of Canada's national teams in 2008 when allegations of sexual assault were made against Bob Birarda, former Vancouver Whitecaps coach. Birarda was jailed in 2022 as a result of those allegations, but former players criticized the handling of the matter by Montagliani as well as other executives and called for him to be suspended.Montagliani has also defended a highly controversial agreement he helped create during his five-year term as Canadian Soccer Association president in which the association invited private investment from a firm to manage the media and marketing rights for Canada Soccer. It led to Canadian player strikes, a $40 million player lawsuit and a Canadian parliamentary committee hearing.Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, AFC presidentWhile UEFA led the charge to challenge Infantino's stake sale plan, another damning voice came from the Asian Football Confederation, signed by its president, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.The letter AFC sent to FIFA accused the governing body of a litany of errors regarding the proposal, saying it had "exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA's consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed."Al Khalifa, who is part of the Bahrain royal family, has been a soccer executive for more than 30 years. He served as president of the Bahrain Football Association between 2002 and 2013 before taking over at the AFC, and should he put himself forward, he can point to a number of successes during his 14 years as AFC president, most notably presiding over the growth of the AFC Champions League Elite.If a non-European candidate is desired, Al Khalifa is a credible option. His policy positions have included being an advocate for women's football in the region as well as an objection to expanding the men's World Cup to a 64-team format. However, he does come with critics, mostly due to his connection to allegations of human rights abuses by the Bahraini royal family during the 2011 Arab Spring.Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG presidentOver 30 years ago, Nasser Al-Khelaifi began his career as a professional tennis player. Today, he is one of the most powerful individuals in world soccer.According to a Guardian report in 2012, Al-Khelaifi befriended the now-emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, playing tennis as a child and they were later teammates on the country's national team. That relationship has been fruitful for both men, with Al-Khelaifi heading the country's Qatar Sports Investments for the past 14 years, as well as beIN Media Group.Under Al-Khelaifi, QSI purchased Paris Saint-Germain, where he has worked closely to guide the club to 12 Ligue 1 titles along with the past two Champions League titles. He has presided over the project for the entirety of QSI's investment, including making the two most expensive transfers in soccer history in 2017, signing Neymar for 222 million and an 18-year-old Kylian Mbapp for 180 million. He later managed to add Lionel Messi as a free agent in 2021.Some of Al-Khelaifi's biggest achievements, though, come away from the field. In April 2021, when major clubs from England, Spain and Italy helped create a European Super League, Al-Khelaifi rejected the chance to join and instead helped lead the resistance to it. He soon became head of the European Clubs Association (ECA) and is a leading voice in European soccer. However, he is reportedly not interested in succeeding Infantino despite suggestions from some in the sport that he should do so.It should also be noted that the Qatar Football Association has backed Infantino, a major issue for any Al-Khelaifi bid.Make no mistake, though: Al-Khelaifi is not a universally popular figure. In 2024, Bayern Munich fans unfurled a banner that criticized Al-Khelaifi -- the club later issued an apology. Al-Khelaifi has long drawn scrutiny for apparent conflicts of interest because of his various roles. The ECA has a big influence on shaping the Champions League's playing format and commercial strategy, while beIN is one of the competition's major broadcast partners.Other names mentionedAleksander Ceferin, UEFA presidentIf one man could claim to be Infantino's biggest critic, it would be UEFA president Aleksander eferin. The 58-year-old Slovenian refused to attend the World Cup final in protest over FIFA's handling of USMNT forward Folarin Balogun's controversial red card. eferin was able to hold off the European Super League proposal during his term as UEFA president, but he has not been without controversy, notably with his expansion and format changes to both the Champions League and Women's Champions League.Lise Klaveness, Norwegian Football Association presidentThe Norwegian Football Association has been the most vocally resistant to FIFA in recent years under the leadership of Klaveness. She was a professional soccer player, appearing 73 times for Norway, before becoming a lawyer, and she already has the support of one former FIFA figure: controversial former president Sepp Blatter, who is serving a ban in the wake of a widespread corruption probe. Blatter said "it is time" for FIFA to have its first female president, praising Klaveness' consistent stance against Infantino. "Lise Klaveness deserves the utmost respect," Blatter wrote on X.Mattias Grafstrm, FIFA secretary generalGrafstrm's relationship with Infantino has reportedly broken down over the proposed FFE, or FIFA Forward Enterprise. In an email to FIFA staff, seen by the Associated Press, he said: "A sad and reproachable series of events -- which were thankfully concluded with the FFE project permanently abandoned -- for as much as we feel dismayed by them, should not overshadow this reality."He continued: "Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue, and that is why we should always keep our professionalism, sense of perspective and composure."That Grafstrm did not offer support for Infantino is worth noting, and as the organization's second-most-senior figure, a leadership bid might not be impossible.
