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Italian-Swiss Gianni Infantino was reelected on Thursday, March 16, 2023, as president of FIFA until 2027, unopposed and by acclamation, at the 73rd Congress of the organization in Kigali, Rwanda. This will be his second term, as the first one does not count as it was in the middle. This means that he can run for a third term, which would make him president until 2031.
"Let me simply thank you all," said Infantino after being confirmed by a standing ovation. "Those who love me are many, and those who hate me: I love them all."
In his tenure, the Italian-Swiss can boast a solid financial balance, with an increase of 18% in revenue and 45% in reserves in the 2019-22 cycle compared to the previous one, which allows FIFA to further increase its grants to confederations and federations.
In terms of governance, his mandate was marked by extensive transfer reform, the establishment of maternity leave for professional female footballers, as well as more protective disciplinary process rules for victims of sexual violence.
Now, the main objectives for the coming years are underway, starting with the expansion of the men's World Cup from 32 to 48 teams as of the 2026 edition, organized by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
2026 World Cup with a new format
After the World Cup in Qatar, where Lionel Messi's Argentina was crowned champion for the third time in its history, it is time to think about the next edition of the tournament. In line with this, on Tuesday, the FIFA Council approved the new format of the World Cup for the 2026 edition, in which the participating teams will be divided into twelve groups of four teams each.
The increase in participating teams in the final phase, from 48 starting from the next tournament, requires this distribution to have a new qualification system in the group stage: the top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams.
In total, and for the first time in history, starting from this World Cup that will take place in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, 104 matches will be played, 40 more than in the previous format since France 1998, and the duration will also be 40 days, from June 8th to July 19th.
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