US President Donald Trump has warned FIFA against replacing its president, Gianni Infantino, describing any attempt to remove the embattled football administrator as a “terrible mistake.” Trump made the remarks on Monday while publicly defending Infantino, who has come under increasing criticism over his leadership of world football’s governing body.
Infantino recently faced renewed opposition after proposing a plan to attract private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The proposal was eventually withdrawn following strong criticism from football authorities, particularly UEFA, which reportedly threatened to boycott future World Cups if the plan proceeded.
Despite the controversy, Trump expressed strong support for Infantino, who presented the US president with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during last year’s World Cup draw ceremony. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said FIFA would be making a serious error if it considered replacing Infantino. He described the FIFA president as “fantastic” and credited him with overseeing what he called the most successful World Cup ever. Trump also suggested that the tournament would not be as successful or profitable under a different leader.
Trump’s position, however, differs from that of US Soccer, which has joined other football stakeholders in raising concerns about Infantino’s leadership. FIFA has also criticised what it described as efforts to undermine the organisation and its president.
The dispute intensified after UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation issued a joint letter accusing Infantino of damaging trust within football’s leadership structure. The three confederations argued that football leadership should not be treated as personal property or centred on the concentration of power in one individual. They accused Infantino of placing himself above the collective institutions that gave him authority and said such conduct amounted to a failure of responsibility.
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is regarded as a potential challenger to Infantino, who is expected to seek a fourth and final term at the FIFA Congress in March 2027. Candidates for the presidency must declare their intentions by November 18. Infantino had previously appeared likely to face little opposition after presiding over the expanded 48-team World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, but the controversy surrounding his private-investment proposal has changed the political landscape.
The 56-year-old Swiss has led FIFA for about a decade and has received support from the Confederation of African Football, while South American football’s governing body, CONMEBOL, is also largely supportive. Individual national football associations, rather than continental confederations, will ultimately vote in the FIFA presidential election. Infantino has already secured support from several associations, including Mexico, Kuwait and Qatar.
UEFA’s opposition was particularly significant in forcing Infantino to abandon his private-investment proposal. The European governing body had described the plan as a “shabby, opaque, backroom deal” and later accused Infantino of a “failure of judgment.” Following the backlash, Infantino received what FIFA described as the “full support” of senior directors during an emergency meeting in Morocco.
However, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC dismissed that support, arguing that the meeting involved only a select group of FIFA Management Committee members and reflected the same leadership practices that had caused the current crisis. They said the situation demonstrated a lack of accountability and openness, adding that football’s progress over the past decade could not be credited to one individual.
The confederations maintained that the growth of the sport, including the expansion of FIFA tournaments, was achieved through the combined efforts of FIFA, the continental confederations, national associations and thousands of people involved in football worldwide. They stressed that football’s strength has always depended on unity and collective responsibility, setting the stage for a potentially contentious FIFA presidential election in 2027.
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