Nordic football associations withdraw support for Gianni Infantino

In late August 2026, football associations from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands formally announced a withdrawal of support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Following a meeting in Helsinki, these Nordic nations joined UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF in criticizing FIFA's current governance and demanding a leadership change.

The friction is largely centered on the scrapped 'FIFA Forward Enterprise' proposal, which sought to sell shares of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investment funds. The Nordic federations are now calling for an independent external investigation into this proposal and a broader evaluation of the organization's governance framework, demanding greater transparency, accountability, and improved decision-making checks and balances.

Simultaneously, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has intensified his criticism of Infantino, describing recent conduct as 'shocking' and 'embarrassing.' While Ceferin declared in a podcast that he will not run for the FIFA presidency and will also step down from his UEFA role in March 2027, he emphasized that Infantino must either resign or face a serious electoral battle. He argued that a leader's legitimacy rests on broader support from players, coaches, and fans, rather than just political alliances within FIFA structures.