UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is set to seek a fourth term as head of European football’s governing body, reversing his earlier decision not to contest another election.
Ceferin stated this on Thursday during a meeting with representatives of UEFA’s 55 member associations in Berlin, ending months of speculation over his political future within European football.
The Slovenian, 58, was first elected UEFA president in 2016 and was re-elected in 2019 and 2023. In February 2024, he had insisted that he would not seek a fourth term, amid controversy over proposed changes to UEFA’s statutes that could have enabled him to remain in office.
However, expectations of a possible U-turn had increased in recent months, particularly following growing tensions between UEFA and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
UEFA had backed efforts to challenge Infantino’s leadership after FIFA faced opposition over plans to sell stakes in some of its competitions to private investors. The proposal was subsequently abandoned following widespread resistance.
Although Ceferin has ruled out personally challenging Infantino for the FIFA presidency, he has pledged to support efforts to identify a candidate capable of uniting the football community ahead of FIFA’s presidential election in March.
His decision to seek another UEFA term is therefore expected to have significant implications for the future leadership of European and world football.
