Infantino re-elected FIFA president by acclamation in Kigali

On 16 March 2023, delegates at the FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, re-elected Gianni Infantino as president of world football's governing body. He stood unopposed, and the national federations confirmed him by acclamation, meaning by applause rather than a secret ballot.

The vote gave the Swiss-Italian official a further four-year term, running to 2027. Infantino had first been elected in February 2016, after Sepp Blatter stepped down amid a corruption scandal, and had been re-confirmed in 2019. FIFA counted the 2023 result as his third term.

The absence of a rival drew criticism from some observers, who said the contest offered members no real choice. Supporters pointed to FIFA's financial recovery and the growth of its revenues under his leadership, and to the success of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which had ended only months earlier. The Congress also approved plans to expand the World Cup, and the 2026 edition was already set to feature 48 teams.

The unopposed re-election set the baseline for later debates about whether anyone would challenge Infantino in the next presidential race.