New Zealand Calls for FIFA Audit Amid Infantino's Eroding Support

Gianni Infantino’s support is no longer just eroding in Europe. It is now cracking in Oceania too.

New Zealand Football (NZF) has formally withdrawn its backing for the Swiss administrator’s candidacy ahead of the 2027 FIFA Congress, a sharp public rebuke from a federation that has often worked quietly within the system rather than against it.

This is not a symbolic gesture. NZF has gone a step further and demanded an independent review of the FIFA Forward Enterprise program, the governing body’s flagship development and funding vehicle. An external audit of that scale would strike at the heart of how FIFA manages and distributes money across the global game.

After conducting its own internal analysis, NZF says FIFA’s recent decisions have eroded trust and deepened divisions in international football. The conclusion from Wellington is blunt: only an outside investigation can begin to repair the credibility of the organisation’s financial and development management.

For New Zealand, the moment is ripe. The federation argues that the current climate gives member associations a rare chance to push hard for stronger governance, real transparency, and meaningful accountability at the top of the sport.

By breaking ranks so publicly, NZF has opened a new front against Infantino that stretches far beyond the European resistance. It follows the stance already taken by Ireland and several other European federations, but this time the dissent comes from a region that has traditionally been seen as less confrontational on FIFA politics.

The pattern is clear. What began as a largely European revolt against Infantino’s leadership is fast turning into a global challenge, one that chips away at his internal support as the next elections edge closer.