The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has become the first national football body to withdraw support for Gianni Infantino's re-election as FIFA president. The decision comes days after Infantino abandoned plans to sell a £3.1 billion stake in the World Cup to private investors, a move that had faced opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC.
In a statement released on August 3, 2026, the FAW cited "recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement" as reasons for its loss of confidence in Infantino. The FAW stated that Infantino has "lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football" and that "failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept."
Infantino's future as FIFA president has been under scrutiny following the revelation of his World Cup stake sale proposal by The Times. Although he has since withdrawn these plans, the FAW's stance marks a significant challenge to his re-election campaign.
As of July, Infantino had reportedly secured endorsements from nearly all of FIFA's 211 member associations for the upcoming election. Candidates must be formally put forward by November 18, with the vote scheduled to take place at FIFA's congress in March. The FAW's withdrawal of support for the 2027-2031 term raises questions about the extent of Infantino's remaining support base.