U.S. World Cup Chief Andrew Giuliani backs Infantino amid FIFA election turmoil

U.S. World Cup 2026 Chief Andrew Giuliani believes that anyone in soccer who wants rid of FIFA President Gianni Infantino “needs to get their head examined,” according to Dan Sheldon of THE ATHLETIC. Giuliani said, “It’s politics. … What Gianni Infantino has done for FIFA is he’s taken them to a whole new level that probably they didn’t think was possible.” He added, “For any soccer confederation or football federation president who is thinking about not voting for Gianni Infantino, it would probably be one of the most foolish decisions of your professional life. This guy literally just put on the largest global sporting event ever without any incident, making over four times the revenue of the last World Cup, and you’re thinking of ousting him.” Giuliani, like President Trump previously, said that “he was not aware of the FFE proposal before it was reported in the media” and called for Infantino’s critics to “take a step back and to instead assess his full ‘body of work.’” Giuliani also noted that he has spoken to Infantino since the fallout and said he has a “good plan over the next few months into March of next year to get re-elected for a third and final term” (THE ATHLETIC, 8/14).

CHANGES AHEAD: In London, Morgan & Wallace wrote informal communication between senior figures at UEFA and the European Football Clubs, as well as the Asian and the North and Central American confederations has “addressed major changes.” One change would be to “reduce the power of the president and have the incumbent on a strict rotation policy — supported by a much stronger administrative centre that would operate like a civil service.” There is a conviction among UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, from North and Central America that Infantino “will not win the election in March, or perhaps even last long enough to contest it” (London TELEGRAPH, 8/13). REUTERS’ Ian Ransom noted New Zealand became the “latest nation to ​withdraw its support” for Infantino’s reelection bid on Friday over the aborted commercial rights stake sale plan, while ‌Oceania’s confederation “cautiously backed the governing body’s leadership” (REUTERS, 8/13).