FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been warmly praised by a variety of personalities, including heads of state and FIFA World Cup™ winners, who spoke of his passion and understanding of the game, his knowledge and attention to detail during his first 10 years in the role. Mr Infantino, elected at an Extraordinary Congress on 26 February 2016, has transformed FIFA, making it widely respected among governments and international organisations around the world and restoring its position as the governing body of world football.

“I think he’s genuinely passionate about football, and not all football administrators are that passionate, at least in my experience,” said former West Germany forward Karl-Heinz Rummenigge who also went on to become CEO of FC Bayern München. Former Italy forward Christian Vieri agreed: “He follows all the games, all the tournaments. He’s there at every game. No one does that,” he said. The former President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, added: “I now see an organisation that's more aware of its responsibility, more focused on transparency and committed to restoring trust. This is undoubtedly the result of reforms and an unequivocal desire for change set out by President Gianni Infantino.”

Mr Macri, who is Executive Chairman of the FIFA Foundation, said that Mr Infantino understood how powerful football could be in promoting positive social change. “People have spoken for a long time about the social power of football. But it takes structure to turn that idea into specific action, structure, commitment and continuity. The creation of the Foundation in 2018 was a key step because it put that vision into practice, in line with the vision of President Gianni Infantino, who understands that football genuinely is a tool that brings about change and improves.”

The FIFA Football for Schools programme, launched in 2019 to teach life skills through fun football sessions, has benefitted millions of children in 139 countries to date. “Through the FIFA Football for Schools programme, I've seen for myself the impact that it's had in the community and in the lives of the young people taking part in it and their families,” said legend Kaká, a FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil, who attended a launch event in Lebanon in 2019. “(It) was amazing, seeing the impact it has on people's lives, on youngsters and the whole community. I'm very happy that more than half of FIFA's (Member Associations) have signed up for the programme and are using it as an educational tool.” FIFA’s core mission is to grow football in all FIFA Member Associations (MAs). Through FIFA Forward, world football’s governing body has invested in infrastructure, supported national team costs and helped MAs organise competition. Meanwhile, the FIFA Talent Development Scheme is helping MAs ensure that all talented players get the chance to shine.

“FIFA has continued with its development, especially in Africa and in newly-established countries. This is how we can grow the game worldwide, and FIFA is highly thought of in these countries,” said Guy Parmelin, the President of the Swiss Confederation. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda said that FIFA had sent an important message by hosting the 73rd FIFA Congress in his country in 2023. “The message was simple. Football doesn't discriminate. It knows no borders. Everyone has the potential to contribute to its growth,” he said.

A key part of talent development has been the expansion of youth competitions, with the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ tournaments for girls and boys now taking place annually with 24 and 48 teams respectively. “There is nothing better for a kid of 15, 16, 17 years, in that age group, than to be able to compete every year, especially at that level,” said Javier Mascherano, former Argentina midfielder and current Inter Miami CF coach. Meanwhile, the expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams had given more countries the chance to perform on the global stage, with Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan all set to make their debuts at the 2026 edition after qualifying for the first time. “All we need is one success story, one player coming from a country that we didn't really expect to see, who goes and shines on the big stage, against the best teams and players,” said former England and Chelsea FC defender John Terry.

“What FIFA can expect with 48 teams is more matches, more fun, more countries engaged in the (FIFA) World Cup, visibility for countries that have never played a (FIFA) World Cup,” said Cafu, who captained the Brazil team that were crowned world champions in 2002. Women’s football is another success story. “Over the last 10 years, during Gianni Infantino's presidency, women's football has grown exponentially. Participation is up, prize money is up, the number of competitions every year is up. All of this gives girls and women all over the world the opportunity to play and enjoy this beautiful game,” said Heather O’Reilly, a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ winner with the USA in 2015.

Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, spoke of the FIFA President’s attention to detail. “I remember the first match when VAR was trialled, in Bari, 1 September 2016. I remember Gianni Infantino seated in a very small van in front of a couple of screens,” he said. “His passion for football is really true, with the objective of making football really global and offering everybody a chance.” Mr Collina added that there were three things to know about the FIFA President: “First, he's crazy about football. Second, he knows everything about football. He's a sort of living encyclopaedia. Third, when he plays football, he kicks everything above the grass, it doesn't matter if it's the ball or the opponent. So, a piece of advice: always play on his team!”