Ceferin accepts final-term bid as UEFA demands FIFA leadership change
Aleksander Ceferin will seek a final term as UEFA president after a unanimous request from Europe’s 55 national associations, while European football has renewed its demand for reform and new leadership at FIFA.
Aleksander Ceferin has confirmed he will stand for a fourth and final term as UEFA president after all 55 European national associations asked him to reconsider his decision to leave office in 2027.The announcement came at a meeting in Berlin, where UEFA and its members also set out a direction for FIFA reform and reiterated their loss of confidence in the global governing body’s current leadership.Ceferin said: “I want to thank the national associations for their trust. We have faced extraordinary challenges over the past years, and we have faced them as one team. There is still important work ahead, and I have therefore accepted their request.“My ambition remains the same: to keep European football united, make our game stronger and leave UEFA ready for the next generation.“I am also deeply grateful to my family. This decision asks a great deal of them too, and I could not have taken it without their understanding and support.”The election will take place at the 51st UEFA Ordinary Congress in Astana, Kazakhstan, on April 22, 2027, with a successful bid extending Ceferin’s presidency until 2031.First elected in 2016, Ceferin announced in February 2024 that he would not seek another mandate, citing the need for fresh leadership and the demands on his family.That announcement followed controversial amendments to UEFA’s statutes enabling him to stand again, with the Football Association opposing the changes at the Congress in Paris.UEFA said the national associations had unanimously urged him to reconsider over recent months, alongside encouragement from other stakeholders across European football.The agreement on FIFA’s reform direction was supported by UEFA and all European national associations except the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan, a separate position from the unanimous request for Ceferin to remain.UEFA’s statement said: “The national associations reiterated that they have lost confidence in the current FIFA leadership. Institutional reform will not, on its own, be enough.“FIFA also needs new leadership: a respected and unifying figure, deeply rooted in football, with the vision and experience to lead, the ability to command confidence across regions and an unequivocal commitment to development, reform, integrity and independence.”The position intensifies European opposition to Gianni Infantino following the abandoned proposal for private investment in a business running FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup.Ceferin has ruled out standing against Infantino himself, leaving European associations seeking a candidate capable of attracting support across confederations ahead of FIFA’s presidential election in March.Former Switzerland international Ramon Vega has announced his intention to contest that election, although his declaration does not itself confirm a place on the ballot or endorsement by UEFA.European associations will continue discussing governance reform and potential FIFA leadership with their counterparts internationally, with another meeting of UEFA’s 55 members scheduled before November 17.