US and Canada Back FIFA Reform Calls as Pressure Mounts on Gianni Infantino

KUALA LUMPUR, AUGUST 2026 — The football federations of the United States and Canada have publicly backed calls for major governance reforms at FIFA, deepening the pressure facing president Gianni Infantino amid an escalating dispute over the leadership and commercial direction of world football.

U.S. Soccer and Canada Soccer, which co-hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico, aligned themselves with a joint position taken by UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF. The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and Central American Football Union (UNCAF) also joined the push for changes designed to strengthen FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability.

The latest confrontation stems from Infantino’s proposal to create a new commercial entity known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would have handled commercial rights linked to the World Cup. The proposal included plans to sell a 20 per cent stake in World Cup commercial rights to private investors in an effort to raise approximately US$4.2 billion. The initiative was ultimately abandoned following widespread opposition.

UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF have sharply criticised the way the proposal was handled and called for a fully independent review into the process. Their joint intervention argued that football’s leadership must serve the wider football community rather than concentrate decision-making power around an individual.

The three confederations have also raised concerns about FIFA’s handling of an emergency meeting held in Morocco, saying the gathering lacked sufficient representation from elected football officials. UEFA, backed by AFC and CONCACAF, has warned of potential boycotts of FIFA competitions unless safeguards are introduced to prevent similar commercial restructuring proposals from being pursued in the future.

The stance taken by the United States and Canada also highlights a division among the three countries that staged the 2026 World Cup. Mexico has publicly supported Infantino, while the U.S. and Canada are backing demands for meaningful institutional change. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and several South American football associations, including Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia, have also expressed support for Infantino.

Pressure on the FIFA president has continued to increase beyond the three confederations. Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness has called for Infantino to step down, while several FIFA member associations have either withdrawn previously pledged support or said they will not vote for him in his next presidential campaign. Infantino is seeking another term that could extend his leadership of FIFA until 2031.

FIFA, however, has defended its president and pushed back against the criticism, describing the campaign against Infantino as an organised attempt to undermine his leadership. The governing body has said that any challenge to FIFA’s leadership should follow its statutes and established democratic procedures.

The growing confrontation leaves global football facing an unusually significant governance dispute, with several of the world’s most influential regional bodies demanding greater accountability while other federations continue to support Infantino. With another FIFA presidential election approaching, the fallout from the abandoned commercial rights proposal could become a defining issue for the organisation’s future leadership.