New Zealand Football has confirmed it will not back Gianni Infantino for another term as FIFA president, becoming the latest national association to distance itself from the organisation’s leadership amid growing concerns over governance and commercial strategy.
The decision puts New Zealand at odds with the wider Oceania Football Confederation, which has not withdrawn its support for Infantino. NZF has also called for an independent investigation into the development of FIFA’s Forward Enterprise Scheme, the abandoned proposal that would have involved selling a 20% stake in World Cup commercial rights to private investors.
The plan has triggered opposition across several parts of world football. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf have all withdrawn their backing for Infantino following the controversy, while the Confederation of African Football and Conmebol continue to support his bid for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in March.
New Zealand now joins England, Wales, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland among individual member associations that have publicly declined to support Infantino’s re-election.
NZF said recent decisions within FIFA had damaged confidence in the organisation and contributed to growing divisions across international football. It argued that an external review of the Forward Enterprise Scheme is necessary to establish how the proposal was developed and to help rebuild trust.
Chief executive Andrew Pragnell said New Zealand wanted the process to be genuinely independent rather than handled internally by FIFA, with stronger scrutiny seen as an important step towards restoring confidence in the governing body’s decision-making.
New Zealand’s position is particularly notable within Oceania. It was the only one of the OFC’s 11 member associations to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, yet it has now taken a different stance from the regional confederation on Infantino’s leadership.
The OFC welcomed FIFA’s decision to abandon the commercial rights proposal and supported a review of the project, but did not indicate that it would withdraw support for the president.
Oceania’s governing body also pointed to football development achieved across the region during the past decade and said FIFA should use the review process to determine whether changes to its procedures and governance are required.
The disagreement leaves Infantino facing increasing resistance from major confederations and national associations ahead of the next presidential vote, with transparency, accountability and the handling of FIFA’s commercial assets becoming central issues in the dispute.