FIFA President Gianni Infantino (L) and Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe (R) talk ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between South Africa and Canada at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 28, 2026. /CFP
The Confederation of African Football's Executive Committee unanimously confirmed its support for beleaguered FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday, at odds with its counterparts in Europe, North America and Asia.
As UEFA said it was committed to boycotting future World Cups at all levels while Infantino remains in office, the regional football governing body's top decision-making body sided with the FIFA president as he seeks re-election in March 2027.
CAF makes up 54 of FIFA's 211 member associations and is a powerful voting bloc that has largely supported Infantino since he took office in 2016.
"The CAF EXCO unanimously reconfirmed its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino and thanked him for his support for African football over the years," CAF said in a statement.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe welcomed FIFA's pledge to review the processes that led to the controversy which sparked the fiercest revolt of Infantino's tenure, as national federations complained they had been sidelined over the abandoned proposal to sell a slice of the World Cup's commercial future.
"CAF welcomes and endorses the 'Joint Update' by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom," Motsepe said, but stressed the need for good governance and transparency in global football.
"We are committed to continue working together with FIFA, its member associations, other football confederations and stakeholders to safeguard and adhere to governance, due process, transparency and global best practices, and to contribute to the development and growth of football worldwide," he added.
CAF's support will provide some relief to Infantino, who has faced near-global condemnation for his aborted plan to establish the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and sell commercial rights to the World Cup.
Earlier this week, five of Africa's most influential football leaders issued statements in support of Infantino, while also welcoming the decision to drop his controversial plan to sell a stake in future World Cup revenue.
CAF Vice President Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco and fellow FIFA Council members Hany Abo Rida (Egypt), Hamidou Djibrilla (Niger) and Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) all pledged to support Infantino.
Veron Mosengo-Omba, recently elected president of the football federation of the Democratic Republic of Congo and former CAF general secretary, also lent his voice in support.
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