World Cup Expansion To 64 Teams Could Decide Infantino’s FIFA Future

Dariusz Mioduski is the president and owner of Legia Warsaw

Mioduski, Al-Khelaifi, Montagliani: Potential candidates to challenge Infantino for FIFA presidency. Gianni Infantino faces European challenger as FIFA election pressure mounts...

Legia Warsaw owner Mioduski floated as potential European candidate for FIFA president...

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Gianni Infantino’s role during the 2026 World Cup has made him a major target for criticism. That has hurt his position ahead of the next FIFA elections, with UEFA expected to back a rival. One of the leading names being mentioned is Dariusz Mioduski of Legia Warsaw.

Sky-high ticket prices, confusing and divisive changes to competitions, and clear favoritism toward the USA have damaged Infantino’s reputation even more.

  

🚨 Exclusive: Growing support within UEFA to back a candidate to run against Gianni Infantino at the next presidential election.

Unlikely to be Aleksander Čeferin or Nasser Al-Khelaifi despite support for latter. Dariusz Mioduski floated by executives.https://t.co/XHfqwRWFwf

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 14, 2026

Reports earlier this week said the current president has lost backing from the English FA ahead of November’s vote. Infantino is running for re-election for the 2027-2031 term, but he could now face a serious European challenger - and UEFA federation support would make that rival a real threat.

Al-Khelaifi favored, but Mioduski emerges as surprise FIFA candidate

With Aleksander Ceferin set to stay on as UEFA president, attention turns to other names. The frontrunner now appears to be Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the powerful president of PSG. His broad influence in football makes him a leading contender.

The unexpected name in the mix is Dariusz Mioduski, owner and president of Legia Warsaw. While he isn’t popular with Legia supporters, he carries significant weight behind the scenes in football administration.

 

According to a list from Ben Jacobs of http://TalkSPORT.com, Mioduski reportedly has backing from the football federations of Bosnia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Spain. Jacobs also broke the story about Donald Trump’s involvement in a recent red card controversy.

In an interesting twist, Mioduski doesn’t have backing from the Polish FA. Their strained relationship is no secret, and PZPN’s preferred candidate is reportedly Qatari Nasser Al-Khelaifi. If Al-Khelaifi opts out of the race, Poland is expected to support the Legia Warsaw president instead.

Can Infantino be beaten in the FIFA election?

Outside Europe, two other names are in the conversation. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani says he plans to stay in his current job, but his interest in running FIFA is an open secret. CAF president Patrice Motsepe is in a similar position. He’s not expected to challenge in 2027 and is more likely to aim for 2031.

The big question is whether Infantino is vulnerable enough to lose. UEFA is against expanding the World Cup to 64 teams, but for many smaller federations that expansion looks like a chance to finally qualify for a tournament that’s been out of reach.

Infantino is known for doing deals and building alliances. Even with FIFA’s credibility taking a hit, many voters may still not view him as a problem. The deadline for candidates to be nominated is November 18th.