Victor Montagliani’s Concacaf plans narrow the field for FIFA president

Victor Montagliani reportedly plans to seek another term as Concacaf president in 2027, a decision that would take a widely discussed potential challenger out of the FIFA presidential race. The Guardian reported his intention on 8 October, citing what he told staff and member associations of the North and Central American and Caribbean confederation. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already said he will stand for re-election.

The reported plan is an intention, not an election result or a public declaration from Concacaf. The Guardian said Montagliani told staff at a town hall late in September and had conveyed his position to most of Concacaf’s 41 member associations. BBC Sport also reported that he plans to seek a final term, while crediting the Guardian with first reporting the development.

Why Montagliani’s Concacaf plans matter for FIFA’s election

Montagliani had been touted as a possible challenger to Infantino, particularly among UEFA member associations, according to the Guardian. His apparent preference to remain at Concacaf narrows the opposition’s options as it tries to agree on a candidate. It does not decide the FIFA contest: the field remains open, and Montagliani has not won another Concacaf term.

The election calendars help explain the choice. The Guardian reported that Concacaf will elect its president in the first quarter of 2027, before FIFA’s presidential vote on 18 March in Rabat. With the votes close together, a campaign to retain his regional post would rule out the FIFA run the Guardian said some football officials had wanted him to make.

UEFA’s search for a challenger

BBC Sport reported that UEFA must identify a unifying candidate by an 18 November deadline. It said no confirmed challenger had emerged at the time of its report. Former Tottenham and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega intended to stand, according to the BBC, but it was unclear whether he could obtain the five letters of support needed to reach the ballot. Those are questions about candidacy, not a prediction of how FIFA members would vote.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed at a meeting of the organisation’s 55 national associations in Berlin on 8 October that he would seek another term leading UEFA, the Guardian and BBC reported. The BBC said Ceferin had ruled out standing against Infantino. His decision leaves UEFA’s search focused on someone else, even as its leadership continues to oppose Infantino’s direction for FIFA.

That opposition extends beyond the presidential contest. BBC Sport reported that UEFA reaffirmed its position while publishing a 14-point plan for changes to FIFA governance. It also reported that Infantino had abandoned a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors after widespread opposition. The dispute gives the search for an alternative candidate a policy context, although the election will be decided by FIFA’s member associations.

Montagliani’s role and the questions still open

Concacaf identifies Montagliani as both its president and a FIFA vice-president, as well as a member of the FIFA Council. Its profile says he was elected to lead Concacaf in 2016 and re-elected in 2019 for a four-year term. He is therefore already involved in world football’s governing structures; seeking another regional term would keep him in that role rather than put him on a presidential ballot against Infantino.

The Guardian reported that Montagliani and Ceferin are expected to continue pressing for FIFA governance changes. That shared position does not make Montagliani a candidate. The immediate election question is whether UEFA and other associations can unite behind a different contender before the reported November deadline. The evidence published so far establishes Montagliani’s reported intention, while an official Concacaf announcement and the eventual candidate list remain outstanding.