Gianni Infantino marked 10 years as Fifa president on 26 February, 2026. The former Uefa general secretary first assumed the role in 2016 following the departure of Sepp Blatter. During his tenure, the Swiss-Italian official has overseen significant changes to international football competitions. He led the expansion of the Men's World Cup from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament in North America, according to Reuters.
Infantino also introduced a reformed 32-team Club World Cup, scheduled to debut in 2025. This move faced legal challenges from players' unions and domestic leagues over fixture congestion, per The Guardian. Despite friction with European football bodies, Infantino has maintained strong support from member associations in Africa and Asia. Fifa reported record revenues of $7.6 billion for the 2019-2022 cycle under his leadership, as noted by the Associated Press. He was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023, and he remains eligible to serve until 2031 due to a council ruling on his initial term limits.
