Gianni Infantino's bid to extend his FIFA presidency may depend less on repairing ties with football's traditional powerhouses than on retaining the backing of the many smaller and emerging nations that have benefited from the governing body's financial support.

The FIFA president is facing the most serious challenge of his decade in charge after UEFA and CONCACAF declared they no longer had confidence in his leadership following the collapse of a controversial proposal to bring private equity investment into the World Cup.

Although Infantino has confirmed he will seek a fourth term at next year's FIFA Congress in April, pressure on his leadership could intensify well before delegates head to the polls.

On Monday, Wales became the first national federation to formally withdraw its support for Infantino. UEFA also confirmed it had written to the 56-year-old Swiss official to notify him that it was considering legal action over the abandoned private equity proposal.

His opponents also have a path to challenge his leadership before the election. Under FIFA statutes, an Extraordinary Congress can be convened if at least 20% of FIFA's 211 member associations submit a written request.

Such a congress would have to be held within three months, creating an opportunity for rival candidates to enter the race and potentially force a vote on Infantino's future.

UEFA, whose 55 member associations voted to boycott all FIFA competitions if the stake sale went ahead, could trigger an Extraordinary Congress on its own with unanimous backing from its members.

But securing enough support to remove Infantino at an Extraordinary Congress may not be an easy task.

Despite vast disparities in wealth, football development and influence across the global game, all 211 member associations have an equal vote.

Rather than repairing relations with established football powers such as France, Spain and England, Infantino's best chance of remaining in office may rest with members such as Bhutan and Vanuatu, emerging nations that have never competed at a World Cup and rely heavily on FIFA funding to support their football programs and participate in international competitions.

FIFA members have been eligible to receive up to $3 million for football development projects during the 2023-26 World Cup cycle, up from $2 million in the previous cycle.

The money is insignificant for wealthy nations with established professional leagues but vital for the game's less affluent members.

The proposed stake sale was widely seen as benefiting those smaller associations, many of which have prospered under Infantino's leadership.

Vanuatu influence

Vanuatu are ranked 160th in the world and sixth among teams in the Oceania confederation, yet their football association president, Lambert Maltock, holds one of eight vice president positions on FIFA's ruling Council.

FIFA awarded the Pacific island nation of about 340,000 people a $4.15 million development grant to help build a 6,500-seat stadium in the capital, Port Vila, which was completed in 2022.

For Vanuatu's first professional player, Brian Kaltak, Infantino's support has been a major boost for the country and other developing football nations.

"First of all, he gave a chance for our president to be part of FIFA and then with development projects, he's been trying to grow the game, not just Vanuatu but all third-world countries," the Perth Glory defender told Reuters on Monday.

"He's opening up more chances for a team like ours, for nations like ours to make it. It's been a massive help."

Similar funding initiatives are common across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, where FIFA grants have financed training pitches, gyms and football programs that national associations would otherwise struggle to afford.

Critics, however, argue that the funding model has reinforced a system in which FIFA exchanges financial support for political influence, making it difficult to build a coalition capable of unseating an incumbent president.

Any campaign to remove Infantino may ultimately become a numbers game that extends far beyond Europe's traditional football elite.