Gianni Infantino re-elected as FIFA President after running unopposed

The 52-year-old ran unopposed and was elected by acclamation at a FIFA congress in Kigali, Rwanda, on Thursday morning.

Infantino has been in office for seven years now, having succeeded Sepp Blatter following the latter’s ban from all football-related activities in 2016.

The Swiss-Italian lawyer's latest mandate will come to an end in 2027, but FIFA’s statutes allow for him to seek another term until 2031.

Addressing the delegates after his re-election, Infantino thanked them for keeping their faith in him and rewarding him with another term.

“Let me simply thank all of you. Those who love me, you are many, and the few who hate me, I love you all,” the FIFA boss said.

“Being FIFA president is a big honour and privilege but also a huge responsibility. You can continue to trust on my commitment.”

Meanwhile, the 2026 World Cup will be the first ever to feature 48 teams after the proposal was approved by the FIFA Council on Tuesday.

The tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will feature 104 games for the first time in its history.

The new format of the World Cup will see 12 groups of four teams, which is a departure from the initially proposed 16 groups of three teams.

The winners and runners-up of each group will automatically progress to the knockout stage, while the eight best third-placed teams will also qualify.

Due to the expansion of the World Cup, the 2026 edition of the tournament will include a new round of 32 stage.