Gianni Infantino would not have a clear path to become the next Secretary General of the United Nations, even with Donald Trump’s backing.
According to a report from The New York Post, the US President sees FIFA’s boss as a “respected” potential candidate, with a “special ability to bring people together” demonstrated by the success of the 2026 World Cup.
But in any event, his endorsement alone would not be enough to push to the world’s most powerful diplomatic job a person who is not even a career diplomat.
Neither Trump nor Infantino have confirmed a candidacy, which, if submitted, would put him into a challenging and politically fraught selection process.
Infantino would need the support of many countries to win the post, and he could not afford to alienate Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom, each of which could stop him thanks to their permanent positions on the Security Council.
How the UN chooses its Secretary General
The UN Secretary General is appointed by the 193-member General Assembly following a recommendation from the Security Council.
This means the candidate is actually selected by a restricted group of 15 countries, including ten rotating members and five permanent ones, in a closed-door negotiation.
All the candidates have to be nominated by one or more UN member states and present their vision in public hearings, answering questions from ambassadors and civil society.
The Council then conducts a series of confidential straw polls before agreeing on a single candidate to recommend. Any of the five permanent members – the US, China, Russia, France or the UK – can kill a candidacy with a veto, making geopolitical acceptability as important – and even more – than diplomatic credentials.
The following approval of the General Assembly is regarded as a largely procedural step. The Assembly could, in theory, vote against the recommended candidate, but this has never happened so far in the UN’s history.
With António Guterres leaving office at the end of this year after two terms, the race is in full swing and Council is expected to start considering candidates at the end of July. A debate entitled “UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General”, will take place on Thursday afternoon in New York, with all the current candidates.
However, there is no binding deadline to present a candidate, and the US or any other country could submit Infantino’s nomination while the process is ongoing.
Six candidates for the top job so far
Seven names have been put forward so far to be the next UN Secretary General, and one has already dropped out: Virginia Gamba, former UN special representative for the protection of children in armed conflict, was initially proposed by the Maldives, but her candidacy was later withdrawn.
One of the best-known candidates is Michelle Bachelet, the left-wing former Chilean president and ex-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is a distinguished politician with decades of diplomatic experience, but could nonetheless prove divisive thanks to her outspoken criticism of authoritarian governments.
Chile’s conservative new government, led by José Antonio Kast, withdrew its support for her, but Bachelet remains in the race, as her candidacy is still backed by the like-minded leaders of Mexico and Brazil.
Also among the more famous candidates is the current director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mariano Grossi, nominated by his home country Argentina, mainly thanks to his diplomatic role in the talks to ensure the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant amid the war in Ukraine.
Other candidates are the former Senegalese president Macky Sall, nominated by Burundi; Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, the boss of the UN Trade and Development department, nominated by his home country Costa Rica; and former foreign ministers of Ecuador (María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés) and Guyana (Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett), both nominated by their respective governments.
A difficult race for Infantino
According to an informal tradition of geographical rotation, the position of UN secretary-general is assigned to representatives from different continents – meaning that as a European, the Swiss-Italian Infantino would have few chances to succeed Portuguese Guterres.
Many governments are also arguing that a woman should hold the post for the first time, since the ten UN Secretary Generals to date have all been men.
Despite the UN Charter not requiring the UN leader to have diplomatic experience, Infantino also could face accusations of being unfit for the role, with his history of governance controversies at FIFA and his close relationship with Trump both major strikes against him.
His critics have repeatedly accused him of centralising power at the football association and overlooking human rights concerns linked to World Cup tournaments in Russia and Qatar.
Any supporters might argue that he has expanded football’s global reach and managed one of the world’s largest international organisations, with even more members than the UN.
A formal nomination by the US would kick off for him a difficult, but still open, contest.
The United Nations, FIFA and the European Commission refused to comment on the issue.