Mexico and Argentina have backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino as divisions deepen over his leadership and a controversial World Cup commercial rights proposal.
MEXICO CITY, Mexico — WEB DESK: The football associations of Mexico and Argentina have backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino as a growing dispute over his leadership and a controversial proposal involving World Cup commercial rights continues to divide international football.
The Mexican Football Federation (FMF), co-host of the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup, has broken ranks with its regional confederation Concacaf, which has called for a broader review of Infantino’s presidency.
Mexico backs Infantino
The FMF said it would not recognise or approve any process to challenge Infantino outside FIFA’s established institutional framework.
Mexico also endorsed Infantino’s call to continue developing football through FIFA’s 211 member associations, while expressing support for his leadership and institutional strengthening efforts.
The position puts Mexico at odds with Concacaf, which has called for a “comprehensive reckoning” with Infantino’s presidency amid the ongoing controversy.
Argentina also supports FIFA chief
Argentina’s football association, AFA, has also expressed support for Infantino and FIFA’s work over the past decade.
In a letter to the FIFA president, AFA said FIFA’s work had focused on the global development of football and institutional strength based on what it described as a stable and transparent governance model.
However, the Argentine association acknowledged that the controversial commercial rights proposal had created significant uncertainty and that mistakes had been made. It nevertheless argued that the way forward was to continue working under FIFA’s leadership ahead of next year’s FIFA Congress.
FIFA divisions deepen
The controversy centres on a now-abandoned proposal to sell part of the commercial rights linked to the future of the World Cup.
Following a meeting in Rabat this week, FIFA apologised to its members over mistakes surrounding the proposal and pledged to review the processes that led to the controversy.
The dispute has cast uncertainty over Infantino’s bid for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in Morocco next March. Although opposition to his leadership has grown, no clear challenger has emerged so far.
Infantino continues to retain substantial support across international football, although several national associations have withdrawn their backing.
UEFA and other confederations take different positions
The divisions have become increasingly visible among FIFA’s regional confederations.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously backed Infantino’s leadership, while UEFA has maintained its opposition and said it remains committed to boycotting the World Cup and other FIFA competitions.
The Asian Football Confederation has also expressed solidarity with UEFA and Concacaf.
Meanwhile, CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body, rejected any attempt to remove Infantino without a vote involving all 211 FIFA members. Mexico subsequently echoed that position.
Several national associations, including Croatia, England and Albania, have moved away from Infantino.
Players’ union FIFPRO has also criticised the proposal, describing it as a serious governance failure and an abuse of presidential authority. FIFA, however, maintains that the actions surrounding the commercial rights proposal complied with its regulations and says the problems involved process and communication rather than governance violations.
The growing divisions are likely to shape the campaign ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election, with Infantino still holding significant support but facing a more openly contested leadership battle than appeared likely earlier this year.
