"This will be the biggest, the most inclusive, the greatest FIFA World Cup ever." Gianni Infantino said that weeks before the 2026 tournament kicks off on June 11 — and whether you believe him or not, the numbers back the scale of it. 104 matches. Three host nations. 48 teams. No World Cup has looked like this before.
Infantino, 56, has run FIFA since 2016, stepping in after the federation was gutted by one of sport's worst corruption scandals — bribery, fraud, money laundering, racketeering. His predecessor Sepp Blatter resigned mid-storm. Infantino, a Swiss-raised lawyer with an UEFA background and a seven-language vocabulary, took the wheel. He's been reelected twice since, both times without opposition.
What he's actually changed
The expansion to 48 teams is the headline move — applied to both the men's and women's World Cup. He also blew up the Club World Cup, taking it to a 32-team format. On the commercial side, he ended FIFA's long partnership with EA Sports (costing the game its FIFA branding) and switched the official trading card deal from Panini to Topps. These aren't trivial calls. They're decisions worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and they all run through his office.
For 2026, the tournament spreads across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — the first time three countries have co-hosted. That structural ambition is Infantino's signature: go bigger, go wider, monetise more.
The controversy that doesn't go away
None of this comes without baggage. The 2022 Qatar World Cup — awarded before Infantino's tenure — drew sustained criticism over the treatment of migrant workers and the country's laws targeting women and LGBTQ+ people. Saudi Arabia, facing near-identical criticism, will host in 2034. Infantino received the Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin after Russia 2018. He travels by private jet. The pay gap between FIFA's men's and women's tournaments remains wide.
His relationship with Donald Trump has also raised eyebrows. Infantino visits the Oval Office regularly, handed Trump the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize in December, and FIFA will join the U.S. in marking America's 250th anniversary with ceremonies at two World Cup matches on July 4th. "You can always count on my support," Infantino told Trump publicly. That kind of proximity to political power is exactly what critics point to when they argue FIFA's "globalise and democratise football" mission statement is more brand positioning than principle.
- Born in Switzerland to Italian parents
- Fan of Inter Milan
- Speaks seven languages
- Married to Leena Al Ashqar; four daughters
- Member of the International Olympic Committee since 2020
With 2026 now weeks away, Infantino's legacy is being written in real time. The tournament's scale is undeniable. Whether what surrounds it holds up to scrutiny is a different question entirely.
