CAF invites Infantino to strategic summit in Cape Verde ahead of FIFA elections

Gianni Infantino has received a formal invitation from the Confederation of African Football to take part in a two-day strategic conference that will be held in Cape Verde next October. The call, addressed to the 54 presidents of the member federations, places the head of world football at the centre of Africa's agenda just as his leadership faces its toughest scrutiny since he took office.

• Infantino will attend a CAF summit in Cape Verde on October 7 and 8.
• The 54 presidents of the African federations have been summoned to the strategic meeting.
• CAF president Patrice Motsepe pushed the idea on several occasions and is a close ally of Infantino.
• The African executive committee already expressed its support for the FIFA president last month.
• On October 9, Arsène Wenger will lead a review of the 2026 World Cup with African national coaches.

A summit that strengthens the alliance between CAF and the FIFA president

A letter sent this week by CAF to its federations confirms that all 54 presidents will attend the October meeting. The driving force behind the initiative is Patrice Motsepe, the South African mining billionaire who leads the continental body and who has raised the idea on several occasions. His chemistry with Infantino is nothing new: the two have coincided in projects and international forums, and the African official has become one of the Swiss leader's most visible supporters within the FIFA ecosystem.

CAF's executive committee made its position clear last month by voicing support for Infantino. Several African federations have moved in the same direction in recent weeks, a stance that contrasts sharply with the outright opposition the FIFA president faces in other confederations.

The African vote, a decisive factor in the 2027 Rabat elections

Africa's 54 votes represent a significant bloc among the 211 federations that will take part in the presidential election to be held in Rabat in March 2027. Although the African vote has often been split in previous FIFA elections, CAF's current alignment is a major asset for Infantino, who has already confirmed his intention to run for re-election.

The 56-year-old Swiss official has no declared rival so far. UEFA, however, has said it is working to find a credible challenger, in a climate where criticism of his management is intensifying from different quarters.

The failed private investment plan and the split among confederations

The trigger for the battle over Infantino's leadership was his proposal to sell up to 20 percent of FIFA's competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. The initiative sparked fierce opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, which argue that such an operation demands a change at the top of the organization.

Africa, however, raised no objections to the plan and has maintained its backing for the FIFA president. That difference in approach is shaping a map of alliances that could prove decisive in the upcoming electoral race. While the European, Asian and North American confederations turn up the heat on the Swiss official, CAF is consolidating its position as one of his main strongholds.

Arsène Wenger to lead the 2026 World Cup review in Cape Verde

One day after the strategic conference, on October 9, the national coaches of all African federations will take part in a review of the 2026 World Cup. The session will be led by Arsène Wenger, FIFA's director of Global Football Development, who will offer an analysis of tactical trends, refereeing, logistics and other match-related matters.

This post-World Cup review format is a practice FIFA introduced after the 2010 tournament in South Africa and has since repeated across every continent. The Cape Verde gathering will allow African coaches to exchange views and prepare for the next World Cup cycle with the perspective of the international organization.

Cape Verde, host of a politically charged event in African football

The choice of Cape Verde as host adds symbolic weight to a gathering that goes beyond sport. The archipelago becomes the stage for a summit in which CAF aims to project internal cohesion and institutional strength to the rest of the football world. The agenda, according to the confederation itself, will be sent to member federations in due course.

Africa's 54 votes represent a significant figure among the 211 member federations that would vote if Infantino faces a challenger in the elections to be held in Rabat in March.