Africa stands with Gianni Infantino! FIFA president secures unanimous CAF backing after promising massive funding boost following World Cup success

Infantino’s campaign to retain his position as FIFA president received a massive boost after securing the unanimous support of Africa’s 54 member associations. The endorsement was confirmed during a landmark CAF Strategy Conference in Santa Maria, Cape Verde.

This unified backing provides critical momentum for the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian administrator. He recently faced pushback from European and North American federations over controversial proposals to sell commercial stakes in FIFA tournaments, making Africa's unified voting bloc essential to his reelection bid.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe officially announced the continent's unified stance, citing the global governing body's significant historical investments as the primary driver behind the endorsement.

"There is a unanimous decision by the 54 CAF member associations to unconditionally support Gianni as president of FIFA," Motsepe told the delegates, as quoted by Reuters. "This is because of the history and the support that Gianni has given to African football."

Taking to social media to express his gratitude following the conference, Infantino celebrated the endorsement. "A beautiful moment of unity at the CAF Strategy Conference in Santa Maria!" he stated. "Thank you so much for the unwavering, unanimous and unconditional support of all 54 African FIFA Member Associations. Across all of football-loving Africa, we stand together in our mission to take our game to everyone, everywhere, without exception."

The core of Infantino’s appeal to the continent lies in heavy financial distribution. Addressing the symposium delegates, he detailed the massive monetary injection that has funded 124 distinct African projects over the past decade.

"As FIFA president, I am proud to have contributed with you a little bit in this revolution (in African football) in the last 10 years," Infantino explained. "With the FIFA Forward programme we have invested one billion dollars in 10 years in Africa, with 124 different projects and many other actions."

Acknowledging the recent friction with other confederations over commercial plans, Infantino stressed the importance of transparency and compromise. "When you go through a journey, sometimes concerns are raised," he said. "When they are raised, we have to address them. As far as we are concerned at FIFA, we address them always with the spirit of dialogue and with open arms, an open heart and an open mind. We can always be better and do better."

Reiterating his overarching message online, Infantino added: "The CAF Strategy Conference in beautiful Cabo Verde was an opportunity to reiterate that football belongs to everyone, everywhere in the world and that it is our responsibility to create opportunities and to find the resources to make that happen. We had productive dialogue around sharing knowledge and learning from each other to build a robust ecosystem where children have the resources and pathways to fulfil their football dreams."

He continued: "Reflecting on a successful FIFA World Cup 2026, including the inspiring journey of the Cabo Verde national team, I had the opportunity of congratulating everyone on our collective work that has resulted in the incredible rise of football in Africa. This has been powered by FIFA Forward investments of USD 1 billion, contributing to 124 projects in this football-loving continent in the last decade."

Infantino is now heavily favoured to retain his presidency in the upcoming March elections. Former Switzerland and Tottenham defender Ramon Vega recently announced his intention to mount a challenge, but with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin opting to seek another term in Europe rather than run for the FIFA top job, Infantino faces a relatively clear path. Looking ahead, the FIFA chief promised continued collaboration with CAF to build on recent milestones.

"Our commitment is to make sure that your football is going to continue to improve and grow, give you more opportunities. Ten countries at the (last) World Cup has been a success for the entire continent," Infantino declared to the delegates. "We need to continue together on this path, because it is up to you as CAF to tell us what you want. How we can make you stronger and better. We will continue to look for the resources and the increases (in funding) that are necessary to boost the African game to the top of world football."

He echoed this sentiment in his final public remarks on the summit: "Our commitment remains to ensure the consistent growth of football here and we will continue working in a spirit of mutual cooperation and open communication so that young girls and boys have the opportunities they require to achieve success."