New Zealand Withdraws Support for Infantino's FIFA Re-Election
New Zealand has broken ranks.
The country that co-hosted the last Women’s World Cup and stands as Oceania’s lone qualifier for this year’s men’s tournament has pulled its backing for Gianni Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as FIFA president, sharpening the backlash over his aborted plan to sell a stake in the organisation’s commercial rights.
While the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has moved to steady the ship with a cautious show of support for FIFA’s current leadership, New Zealand Football has gone the other way – and done so loudly.
New Zealand walks away
On Friday, New Zealand Football confirmed it had withdrawn support for Infantino’s re‑election and demanded an independent review of the shelved commercial rights proposal, citing a loss of confidence and trust in how FIFA is being run.
“We’ve called for an independent review specifically because what we don’t want to see is a sort of in-house quick washover of this,” New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andrew Pragnell told Reuters.
“An independent review is something else that has been called for by other confederations that will help restore some of the trust.”
The message is clear: FIFA’s own internal processes are no longer enough for one of its most visible members in Oceania.
New Zealand’s stance lands at a sensitive moment for Infantino. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF have already demanded a review of his leadership and condemned his handling of the plan to bring private investment into FIFA competitions. New Zealand now adds weight from within OFC to that growing revolt.
Oceania treads carefully
OFC, though, has chosen a different tone. In a statement, the confederation welcomed FIFA’s decision to withdraw the proposal and praised the development work under Infantino’s tenure.
“OFC recognises the progress achieved over the last decade in advancing football development in Oceania under FIFA’s leadership and encourages FIFA to use the review as an opportunity to identify and implement any changes that may be necessary,” it said.
So while one of its key members is openly challenging the president, the regional body is keeping a diplomatic line, acknowledging disquiet but still backing the broader leadership.
The deal that detonated trust
At the heart of the storm is Infantino’s plan to carve out the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions, selling a 20 percent stake to private investors for around $4.2bn.
The proposal came sweetened: a $20m grant to each member association for the next funding cycle, with the potential to double that figure if they signed up to the deal.
The backlash was immediate and fierce. Critics questioned the governance, transparency and the speed of the process. After a crisis meeting in Morocco last week, FIFA made a sharp U‑turn, scrapping the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, apologising to its 211 member associations for “mistakes” in handling the plan and insisting its leadership still had full backing for Infantino.
Pragnell wants that apology followed by hard scrutiny. He says an independent review must dig into how decisions were made, what oversight existed, and who exactly was involved in the plan for Thrive Capital – a firm with close familial links to former US President Donald Trump – to play a leading role in the venture.
“I think the scope needs to be considered really carefully, but what’s most important is that all confederations should agree on the scope, and it needs to get under way with urgency,” he said.
Allies in key power blocs
Despite the revolt from UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF – three confederations that together represent 136 of the 211 associations eligible to vote in March’s presidential election – Infantino is far from isolated.
The African and South American confederations have already declared their continued support for his re‑election at next year’s FIFA Congress.
Six heads of Arab national associations, including Qatar and 2030 World Cup cohost Morocco, also moved to shore up the president on Thursday, publicly backing him and praising his “sustained efforts to advance football globally”.
The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee has unanimously confirmed its support as well, even if that does not automatically guarantee a unified bloc vote from all 54 member associations.
So the map is fractured: powerful regions in open opposition, others firmly behind the incumbent, and some caught in between.
Australia edges closer to Wellington’s line
Within the AFC, Australia has already joined calls for an independent review of the failed commercial rights deal, aligning itself with the Asian bloc’s demand for answers, though it has stopped short of taking a public position on Infantino’s leadership itself.
“Based on what we’ve seen, including [Australia’s] commitment to the AFC statement, we’re strongly aligned,” Pragnell said, hinting at a shared stance between the two World Cup regulars from the Asia-Pacific region.
Infantino will still stand for a fourth term next year, buoyed by heavyweight backing from Africa and South America and reinforced by allies in the Arab world. But with New Zealand now openly breaking from him and pushing for an independent investigation, the contest around his authority has shifted from quiet corridors to the centre of the global stage.
The next move belongs to FIFA’s confederations: do they close ranks around the president, or join New Zealand in demanding that someone else lifts the lid?
