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No single confederation controls it, and that is precisely the problem facing every candidate involved right now. FIFA’s 211 member associations each get one secret-ballot vote, and no regional bloc reaches the 106 votes needed for a simple majority on its own strength. Winning next March means building a coalition that crosses continental lines entirely, something no incumbent has really had to do since 2016. UEFA has broken from Infantino, CAF has endorsed him publicly, and Asia and North America remain genuinely split down the middle heading into voting season.
Every FIFA member association casts one secret-ballot vote at Congress, regardless of population or footballing power on the pitch that week. A contender needs a two-thirds majority, 141 votes, to win outright in round one against three or more declared rivals for the role.
If nobody clears that bar, rounds continue until a simple majority of 106 decides the outcome, which is also the exact threshold needed in a straight two-candidate race. No confederation alone reaches 106 votes on its own, so every winning coalition has to cross regional lines deliberately to succeed at Congress.
The next presidential vote falls on 18 March 2027 at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco. Until this year, it looked like a formality.
Infantino announced his intent to seek a fourth term at the April 2026 Congress in Vancouver, expecting to run unopposed just as he did in 2019 and 2023. The collapse of the FIFA Forward Enterprise investment plan changed all of that, setting up the first genuinely contested election since 2016, when Infantino beat Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa 115-88 in round two.
| Confederation | Number of Member Votes | Public Stance on Infantino |
| UEFA | 55 | Broke with Infantino; withdrew support and threatened a boycott over FFE |
| CAF | 54 | Publicly endorsed Infantino; president Patrice Motsepe declined to run |
| AFC | 46 | Criticized FFE and demanded a governance review; Sheikh Salman floated as a possible challenger |
| CONCACAF | 35 | Rejected FFE; president Victor Montagliani reportedly weighing a challenge |
| CONMEBOL | 10 | No public statement issued either way |
| OFC | 11 | Deferred internally; no formal position declared |
UEFA’s 55 associations have gone furthest of any confederation, withdrawing support and threatening a full boycott until FFE is permanently abandoned for good. CONCACAF, whose 35 associations include the 2026 World Cup hosts, rejected the plan too, and its president, Victor Montagliani, is now widely reported as a likely challenger for the role.
The AFC’s 46 associations demanded an independent governance review of FIFA’s practices, and Sheikh Salman, Infantino’s runner-up back in 2016, has been floated as another possible candidate for the job. CAF, the largest single bloc at 54 votes, has instead endorsed Infantino outright, with Motsepe declining to run himself and calling him a loyal ally of African football instead.
CAF and the AFC together hold 100 votes, five short of a majority on their own but easily enough to decide the outcome for anyone else either way. If Africa stays firmly behind Infantino while Asia drifts toward a challenger instead, neither side reaches the required 106 votes alone in round two of the ballot.
That is exactly what sank Sheikh Salman back in 2016. With CAF and the AFC’s public backing, over 100 votes combined on paper before a ballot was cast, he still won only 85 votes in round one and 88 in round two, because associations did not vote the way their confederations had publicly indicated.
A fractured Congress favors the incumbent candidate almost every single time it happens. Infantino needs only 106 votes drawn from CAF’s 54, a meaningful share of the AFC’s 46, and defectors within UEFA and CONCACAF, such as Mexico, which backs him despite CONCACAF’s official rejection of the FFE plan.
A challenger, by contrast, must build a coalition across at least three confederations entirely from scratch before a single ballot is cast. History shows that is far harder than it looks on paper, and no rule forces any association to vote the way its confederation formally recommends, which is exactly why this FIFA presidential election 2027 voting bloc math remains genuinely unpredictable heading into next March in Rabat.
Which confederation do you think ultimately swings the result? Drop your prediction in the comments below.
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How many votes does each FIFA confederation have?
UEFA has 55 votes, the most of any single confederation. CAF holds 54, the AFC 46, CONCACAF 35, OFC 11, and CONMEBOL 10, totaling FIFA’s 211 member associations worldwide.
When is the next FIFA presidential election?
The vote is scheduled for 18 March 2027. It takes place at the 77th FIFA Congress, which will be hosted in Rabat, Morocco, during the same week of meetings.
Who could replace Gianni Infantino as FIFA president?
Victor Montagliani is widely seen as the front-runner if he decides to run. Sheikh Salman, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Lise Klaveness and Mattias Grafström have also been floated as possible options.
How does FIFA’s presidential voting system actually work?
Each of the 211 associations gets one secret-ballot vote. Two-thirds, or 141 votes, wins outright in round one; otherwise, a simple majority of 106 decides later rounds.
Which confederations have withdrawn support for Infantino?
UEFA has formally withdrawn support and threatened a full boycott. CONCACAF and the AFC also rejected FFE and demanded governance reforms, though neither has endorsed a specific rival candidate yet.
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