FIFA is facing a deadline.
Anyone who wants to challenge Gianni Infantino for the presidency of world soccer has until Nov. 18 to throw their hat in the ring, with the backing of at least five national federations.
Hey Michele Kang, what size is your hat?
Kang, who owns the Washington Spirit, London City Lionesses and OL Lyonnes, was reportedly approached about a run and declined. That's too bad. Few people have a better vantage point on the enormous opportunity in women's soccer right now. She owns clubs in three major markets and has invested heavily in the infrastructure, research and resources around the women's game. She’d have to turn over the reigns on those clubs of course, but small price for all the good she could do.
But this doesn't have to be Kang. What FIFA needs is a credible challenger who understands that women's soccer isn't a side project or a development initiative. It is one of the biggest growth opportunities in global sports.
And it is difficult to look at Infantino's record and see him as the person to maximize it. There are plenty of reasons that have nothing to do with women's soccer. FIFA reportedly signed a seven-year lease worth about $4 million for an office in Trump Tower that largely sits unused, according to the New York Times. Most damning is FIFA Forward Enterprise, Infantino's aborted plan, without constituent buy-in, to create a $20 billion commercial subsidiary around FIFA's competitions and sell up to 20% to private investors. The plan produced almost universal backlash from soccer officials around the world before FIFA abandoned it.
Then there is Folarin Balogun. President Donald Trump acknowledged calling Infantino after the American forward received a red card during the World Cup. Balogun's suspension was subsequently lifted. FIFA maintains that its independent judicial bodies made the decision, but the episode understandably raised questions about political influence and conflicts of interest.
Two of the loudest voices demanding better governance have been women. Laura McAllister of Wales and Norway's Lise Klaveness, both former players, are the only women on UEFA's executive committee. Both have been outspoken critics of Infantino. McAllister has also been clear-eyed about the chances of a woman reaching the top of world soccer.
“I'd like to think we're not far off having a female president, but I fear we are because I think the game has to do some catching up with the rest of society,” she told Reuters. It's about putting someone in the job who sees the women's game for what it can become.
Nielsen Sports and PepsiCo came out with a report projecting the growth for women’s soccer in the next decade. The sport will become the fifth largest globally by 2030, with 800 million fans and the majority of them women.
Remember Infantino's speech during the 2023 Women's World Cup? He told women to “pick the right battles” and said they needed to “convince us men” to make change. He also argued that equal World Cup pay would be largely symbolic and “would not solve anything.” An astonishing message during a tournament that FIFA itself said generated more than $570 million in revenue.
Three years later, FIFA is making progress. For the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, participating federations will receive $2.5 million in preparation money, putting them on par with the men's tournament in 2026. FIFA has also promised players the same service levels their male counterparts received.
It’s a start, but given that the rest of the world has been catching up with US Soccer for the last decade, FIFA should have seen this wave coming.
The Olympic Committees, international tennis and many, many governing bodies of sport have created pathways for women in leadership, and been more equitable about developing opportunities for the women’s side of the game. Soccer has an advantage most of them would love to have: a truly global women's game and the most recognizable sporting event on earth.
It needs leadership smart enough to seize the opportunity already sitting in front of it.
Not more convincing.
