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Aleksander Ceferin will stand unopposed in April’s Uefa presidential election, European soccer’s governing body confirmed.
Confirmed:
- Ceferin is poised to serve a third term as Uefa president
- The election to confirm Ceferin’s third term will take place at Uefa congress in Lisbon on 5th April
- After being first elected in 2016, he ran unopposed for a second term in 2019
- Ceferin will now remain as Uefa president until 2027
Context:
Ceferin, previously the president of the Football Association of Slovenia (NZS), is set to be re-elected as Uefa president as Gianni Infantino, Fifa president, is also standing unopposed as the leader of soccer’s global governing. A lot of Ceferin’s energy has been spent dealing with Infantino’s disruptive attempts to gain greater control over club soccer, including staring down proposals for a biennial World Cup and the Super League project which Fifa allegedly encouraged.
Coming next:
During his next term Ceferin will oversee the introduction of a revamped Champions League format, with the competition growing from 32 to 36 teams and a new ‘Swiss model’ league group stage providing more high-profile matches for broadcasters and clubs to host from the start of the 2024/25 season.
The threat of the European Super League (ESL) still looms. The final verdict from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over Uefa’s authority to block breakaway leagues is due soon but Barcelona president Joan Laporta insists the project will launch in 2025.
