FIFA President Infantino promised Mexico move to CONMEBOL

FIFA President Gianni Infantino secured the support of the Mexican Football Federation by promising to help move it from CONCACAF to CONMEBOL, Spanish newspaper AS reports.

It said Mexico is seeking to leave CONCACAF amid strained relations between its national federation and the regional governing body.

Tensions emerged after Mexico’s national team and Liga MX clubs began competing in South American tournaments and intensified when CONCACAF opposed clubs taking part in the Copa Libertadores and CONMEBOL competitions.

One argument in favour of Mexico’s move to CONMEBOL is a possible expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams. Under such a scenario, the South American confederation would receive additional tournament spots, giving Mexico a strong chance of qualifying. Infantino’s support may also be linked to Mexico’s interest in hosting the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.

Infantino previously proposed selling a stake in World Cup rights to private investors but later abandoned the plan following criticism from various football organisations. UEFA, CONCACAF, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONMEBOL all rejected the proposal.

UEFA subsequently announced a boycott of FIFA competitions and said it had lost trust in the FIFA president.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov