Gianni Infantino is one of the strong men of the 2026 Football World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The boss of Fifa (International Federation of Association Football) intends to remain at the head of the powerful organization for several more years.
What is his background?
Gianni Infantino was born in 1970 in Brig, in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. He has Swiss and Italian nationality. End of 2025, The Orient-The Day reported that President Joseph Aoun had granted him Lebanese nationality for “his role in the development of football and his constant support for Lebanese footballâ€.
A lawyer by training, Gianni Infantino joined the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES) in Neuchâtel in 1995, then the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in 2000. Four years later, he became director of legal affairs for the organization.
Under the presidency of Michel Platini, elected in 2007 at the head of UEFA, Gianni Infantino gained ground by being promoted to general director. Two years later, he was named general secretary of the association and became the Frenchman’s right-hand man.
How did he get to the head of Fifa?
The career of the one that the Swiss daily Time described as a “ambitious†having known how to weave “an impressive network†takes on another dimension in 2015. In June, the president of Fifa, the Swiss Sepp Blatter, announced his resignation a few days after his re-election, against a backdrop of a corruption scandal within the federation.
Michel Platini formalizes his candidacy to succeed him, but, in September, criminal proceedings are opened in Switzerland against Sepp Blatter, suspected of “payment of loyalty†of 2 million Swiss francs (nearly 2.2 million euros today) to the former number 10 of the Blues. The two men – acquitted in 2022 – are suspended from “any activity related to footballâ€.
Even before Michel Platini formally renounces, UEFA dubs Gianni Infantino as candidate. THE “affable and multilingual attendant of the draw ceremonies†, became “plan B†of Europe in the race for Fifa, writes Time, was elected in February 2016 at the head of the organization, of which he promised to “restore the imageâ€.
What controversies mark his presidency?
Re-elected in 2019 and 2023, Gianni Infantino confirmed that he was seeking a new mandate during the Fifa congress in Vancouver, Canada, at the end of April. Under his presidency, the World Cup grew to 48 teams – from 2026 –, video assistance refereeing (VAR) was introduced and the body raked in record revenues.
His record is criticized, in particular due to a lack of transparency and an increasingly advanced commercial logic, as evidenced by the price of tickets to the 2026 World Cup. His name is also associated with the 2018 and 2022 editions (in Russia and Qatar), even if they had been awarded under the Blatter presidency. Although tainted by suspicions of corruption and human rights controversies, he defended them by “occultant†these subjects, underlines the American media Politico, “bringing closer together the leaders of these countriesâ€.
Gianni Infantino, who has shown his closeness to Vladimir Putin, is calling for lifting Russia’s suspension from international competitions, sparking indignation in kyiv. He also worked on the – highly contested – award of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, and does not hide his “amitié†with Donald Trump. In December 2025, he presented the American president with the Fifa Peace Prize, created “four weeks after Trump was dismissed by the Nobel committee†, reminds The Washington Post.
