The Royal Belgian Football Association has formally announced it will not back Gianni Infantino’s bid for another term as FIFA president. The decision, made public on September 7, 2026, makes Belgium the latest in a string of European federations to pull their support from the man who has led global football’s governing body since 2016.
The Balogun incident that broke the camel’s back
At the center of Belgium’s discontent is the case of Folarin Balogun, the US Men’s National Team striker who received a red card during the 2026 World Cup. Under normal circumstances, an automatic one-match suspension would have sidelined Balogun for the next game. That next game happened to be against Belgium in the knockout round.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee, however, temporarily suspended the automatic ban. Balogun played. Belgium protested.
Two months later, the RBFA says it still hasn’t received satisfactory answers from FIFA about how and why that decision was made. Belgium has now formally requested that the Balogun case be placed on the agenda for the FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 15, 2026.
A broader European revolt
At least five European national associations had already formally withdrawn their support for Infantino before the RBFA’s September announcement. Wales, Serbia, and Germany are among those who have stepped away from the incumbent’s camp.
FIFA’s now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, known as the FFE, played a significant role in eroding trust. The plan would have sold a portion of FIFA’s commercial rights for $4.2B, effectively inviting private investment into the organization’s revenue streams. The FFE was withdrawn on August 1, 2026.
Infantino has led FIFA since February 26, 2016, when he won the presidency in the aftermath of the corruption scandals that toppled his predecessor, Sepp Blatter.
What happens at Congress in Morocco
The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for the Congress in Morocco in March 2027. Infantino has confirmed his intention to run for re-election despite the growing opposition. Given FIFA’s global membership structure, where each of its 211 member associations gets one vote regardless of size, European defections alone are unlikely to unseat him.
The FFE withdrawal adds another dimension. Even though the $4.2B commercial rights deal is off the table, the fact that FIFA attempted it signals an appetite for financial restructuring that could resurface in a second Infantino term.