Aleksander Ceferin to run for fourth term as UEFA president

Aleksander Ceferin will seek a fourth term as president of UEFA, European football's governing body, after formally confirming his candidacy on 8 October 2026. According to Turkish news agency Anadolu, the Slovenian announced the decision in Berlin, where he met the heads of all 55 UEFA member associations.

The move reverses Ceferin's statement from February 2024 that he would not run again. Turkish outlets Sözcü and Ajansspor report that the national associations asked him to stay on. At the same Berlin meeting, UEFA published a 14-point plan calling for an overhaul of how FIFA is governed.

Why is Ceferin running again?

Ceferin said he was running again because the national associations asked him to and because important work remains. He said his goals are to keep European football united, make the game stronger and leave UEFA ready for future generations. His statement was delivered in Berlin and reported in Turkish by Anadolu, so the wording here is a translation, not an official English text.

What is in UEFA's FIFA reform plan?

UEFA's 14-point plan would remove some of the FIFA president's direct powers. According to Anadolu, those powers allowed a proposal involving the sale of World Cup stakes to be put forward. The plan also says FIFA resources must never be used for personal or electoral purposes, and calls for each of FIFA's 211 member associations to receive at least 10 million dollars in additional funding.

UEFA remains opposed to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. At the Berlin meeting, every participant except Azerbaijan backed the reform agreement. In a written statement, UEFA said institutional reform alone would not be enough and that FIFA needs new leadership: a respected, unifying figure with deep roots in football and a firm commitment to integrity and independence.

Who is Aleksander Ceferin?

Aleksander Ceferin is a 58-year-old Slovenian football administrator who was first elected UEFA president in 2016. If re-elected, he will lead European football's governing body for a fourth term.

1. 2016 — Aleksander Ceferin is elected UEFA president for the first time.
2. February 2024 — Ceferin says he will not stand for re-election.
3. 8 October 2026 — In Berlin, Ceferin formally announces a fourth-term bid at the associations' request; UEFA publishes its 14-point FIFA reform plan the same day.

What happens next?

The date of the next UEFA presidential election has not been given in the reports so far, and it is not yet clear whether anyone will run against Ceferin. UEFA's reform plan and its call for new leadership put more focus on FIFA's own presidency, where former Switzerland defender Ramon Vega recently announced a bid against Infantino. ScoreLab will update this article once the election timetable is confirmed.