Ceferin Reverses Course, Will Seek Final Term as UEFA President

Aleksander Ceferin has performed a full U-turn on his future. At a meeting of the presidents and general secretaries of all 55 UEFA member associations in Berlin on Thursday, the Slovenian told delegates he will seek re-election as UEFA president when his current term expires — a direct reversal of his previous decision to walk away.

Ceferin would be voted on at the 51st UEFA Ordinary Congress in Astana, Kazakhstan, on April 22, 2027. Statute changes ratified at the 2024 Paris Congress would allow him to serve a fourth term running through 2031.

The move removes him as a potential challenger to Gianni Infantino in the FIFA presidential election — Ceferin had already said in August he would not stand against the FIFA chief. It came against a backdrop of open revolt: UEFA said on Thursday that every association except Azerbaijan had backed FIFA reform proposals and declared they had "lost confidence in the current FIFA leadership," calling for "new leadership."

The announcement landed a day after former Switzerland defender Ramon Vega declared he will challenge Infantino for the FIFA presidency ahead of the November 18 nomination deadline — a separate race, and one that will now proceed without Ceferin.