Pressure is mounting on FIFA president Gianni Infantino after Norway became the first national football association to openly demand his resignation following the collapse of his controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has gone further than the football associations of England, Wales, Croatia and Albania, which have withdrawn their support for Infantino but stopped short of calling for him to step down.
Speaking on Friday, NFF president Lise Klaveness said the FIFA president had lost the confidence required to continue leading world football.
“He does not have the institutional trust required to govern FIFA stably in the times we are in.”
She added:
“There is no going back for Gianni Infantino. The international football cooperation is very much in trouble, and we must have a reason to get together now, and we want to ask the FIFA president to resign now.”
Klaveness said Norway would formally request Infantino’s resignation during its dialogue with FIFA while monitoring whether other European associations follow suit.
The Norwegian FA has repeatedly clashed with FIFA under Infantino’s leadership, raising concerns over tournament hosting decisions, governance issues, the awarding of FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, and the decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension following a reported phone call from Trump.
Despite the growing revolt in Europe, Infantino continues to enjoy support from several influential football nations.
Mexico, one of the co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, publicly backed the FIFA president, breaking ranks with regional governing body CONCACAF, which recently called for a “comprehensive reckoning” of his presidency.
In a statement, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) reaffirmed its confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
“The FMF supports President Infantino’s leadership in continuing to promote the development of football through institutional strengthening.”
Mexico also aligned itself with CONMEBOL, insisting that any attempt to remove Infantino must follow FIFA’s constitutional processes and involve all 211 member associations.
“The FMF will neither recognise nor approve any process convened outside of that institutional framework.”
