Keypoints:
- Africa controls 54 FIFA votes
- CAF cannot guarantee a voting bloc
- Infantino retains strong African backing
AFRICA could become the decisive battleground in Gianni Infantino’s campaign to remain FIFA president, with the continent’s 54 national football associations holding enough votes to influence an election now overshadowed by a bruising dispute over governance and FIFA’s commercial future.
Infantino enters the March 17, 2027 election with substantial African backing, but history suggests the Confederation of African Football cannot deliver the continent’s votes on command. Reuters interviews with African football officials indicate some associations are watching closely to see whether a credible challenger emerges before committing themselves.
Africa holds critical voting power
FIFA has 211 member associations, each carrying one vote regardless of size, wealth or footballing strength.
That gives Africa roughly a quarter of the entire electorate through CAF’s 54 members.
If two candidates contest the presidency, 106 votes would be enough to win. The arithmetic makes Africa one of the most important electoral constituencies as FIFA prepares to hold its Congress in Morocco next March.
Potential challengers have until November 18 to enter the race.
Infantino announced his intention to seek another term at FIFA’s Congress in Vancouver in April, where African associations were among those expressing support for his re-election ambitions.
All African associations wrote letters at that Congress expressing support for Infantino’s re-election plans, according to Reuters. But those declarations came before the current controversy erupted over a proposal involving private investment in future FIFA commercial rights.
The timing matters.
What appeared in April to be a secure African base is now being tested by a governance dispute that has triggered unusually forceful opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF.
Infantino has built goodwill in Africa
Infantino’s support across Africa is not difficult to understand.
FIFA says more than $1bn has been invested in African football through its Forward development programme since he took office in 2016, with funding directed towards pitches, training centres, competitions, women’s football and administrative development.
That investment has been particularly significant for smaller associations with limited commercial income.
Africa also benefited substantially from the expanded 48-team World Cup, ultimately sending 10 teams to the 2026 tournament after DR Congo secured the continent’s additional place through the intercontinental play-off.
The record representation gave Infantino another achievement to point to when courting African associations, alongside increased development spending and greater investment in infrastructure.
Africa’s expanded World Cup representation has also underlined the continent’s growing institutional weight within global football.
The commercial value of the African game has been rising at the same time, with AFCON increasingly reshaping African football economics and strengthening the argument for greater influence in global decision-making.
But development money and tournament access do not automatically translate into a disciplined electoral bloc.
CAF cannot command Africa’s vote
African football has repeatedly demonstrated that continental endorsements are not the same as individual votes.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has himself stressed that Infantino’s future should ultimately be decided by FIFA’s 211 voting member associations.
History backs that caution.
In 1998, CAF aligned itself with UEFA president Lennart Johansson in his contest against Sepp Blatter. African associations nevertheless voted overwhelmingly for Blatter.
Four years later, CAF president Issa Hayatou challenged Blatter for the FIFA presidency. Once again, many African federations broke ranks and backed the incumbent.
The pattern repeated itself in 2016.
CAF endorsed Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa to succeed Blatter, yet a significant number of African associations switched behind Infantino as he secured victory in the second round.
Even Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup exposed the limits of continental solidarity. Eleven African countries voted for the rival Canada-Mexico-United States bid despite CAF supporting Morocco.
The historical message is clear: CAF can recommend, endorse and lobby, but the ballot ultimately belongs to each national association.
That makes Africa’s 54 votes valuable precisely because they cannot simply be assumed.
Commercial row tests Infantino
The immediate threat to Infantino’s dominance comes from the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
Reuters reported that the plan contemplated selling a 20 percent interest in future World Cup commercial rights for about $4.2bn.
The proposal provoked strong opposition from UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF amid concerns over consultation, governance and the future control of some of football’s most valuable commercial assets.
FIFA later withdrew the proposal.
In its own account, FIFA acknowledged mistakes in the process, apologised for the errors and said a review would be presented to the FIFA Council. It nevertheless maintained that the proposal had remained subject to approval and that the process complied with FIFA’s regulatory framework.
CAF subsequently endorsed the joint update presented by Infantino and FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafström and reconfirmed its support for the FIFA president.
That leaves African football’s continental leadership on the opposite side of an increasingly public dispute with three other confederations.
African backing remains strong
For now, Infantino still has considerable African support.
Reuters reported that football federations in DR Congo, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and Niger have formally backed him.
Benin federation president Mathurin de Chacus, who also sits on the CAF executive committee, said: ‘I see no reason not to support him.’
Burundi federation president Alexandre Muyenge similarly praised Infantino’s record, particularly his support for less wealthy football nations.
Malawi FA president Fleetwood Haiya has credited FIFA investment under Infantino with helping football development, while leaving open the possibility of assessing another candidate should one emerge.
That qualification could become important.
The election only becomes genuinely unpredictable if an opponent appears who can persuade African associations that they can preserve development funding, influence and expanded global representation without Infantino.
Morocco’s central role in African and global football is also growing ahead of the FIFA Congress, alongside infrastructure projects including its ambitious preparations for the 2030 World Cup.
Until a credible challenger appears, Infantino remains strongly placed across Africa.
But the continent’s voting history should temper any assumption that CAF’s support guarantees the outcome.
Infantino may have goodwill. He may have the development record. He may have the endorsement of African football’s continental leadership.
What he does not yet have is 54 guaranteed votes.
And if a serious challenger emerges before the November 18 deadline, Africa could become the arena in which the future leadership of FIFA is ultimately decided.
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