Little-known reason why World Cup cameras always cut to FIFA president Gianni Infantino during games

Gianni Infantino’s face has been absolutely everywhere throughout the 2026 World Cup.

That is by design.

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Why FIFA president Gianni Infantino is always shown at World Cup games

According to a report from The Athletic, FIFA mandate that its production partner, Host Broadcast Services (HBS), which produces the “world feed” that every broadcaster for the World Cup uses, air what is called a “dignitary shot” in each half of each match.

The direction for this is that they must showcase “the highest-ranking officials present at a game” such as that of the FIFA President himself.

“FIFA says it would be misleading to say that it has directed specific shots of its president during games in this World Cup,” The Athletic’s report stated, though virtually every game he has attended, his face has been shown at some point.

Furhermore, there is additional instruction that those individuals described by FIFA in its accreditation system as “VVIPs,” which stands for very, very, important people.

These VVIPs can include “heads of state, confederation officials, celebrities or members of soccer federations.”

That’s why celebrities like Shakira and Penelope Cruz, as well as ex-footballers like Ronaldo Nazario and David Beckham, are also given some air-time by the cameras.

During Saturday’s quarterfinal showdown between Norway and England, this also included Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, who was alongside Infantino.

“It is standard practice for seats which include football officials, public figures and celebrities to be shown as part of the match running order, whoever they may be,” a FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic.

While it appears that Infantino has been at almost every game, like he was in Qatar back in 2022, doing so in 2026 has been impossible due to the vast distances between the venues spread across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

But only FIFA has this mandate for media rights-holders, with UEFA, for example, not requiring that president Aleksander Ceferin, is shown during matches that he is in attendance at, except for the Champions League final.

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The same can be said for the Premier League, with chief executive Richard Masters not shown every game.

Infantino seeking third term at the helm

Infantino announced back in April his intention to stand for a third term in 2027, which, if successful, would see him extend his tenure as FIFA president until 2031.

This would bring his length of service in this role to over a decade after succeeding acting president Issa Hayatou following Sepp Blatter‘s impeachment in 2015.

As of yet, the 56-year-old is running unopposed, although calls are growing from UEFA federations to back a candidate to run against him.

This comes amid a myriad of controversies throughout the 2026 World Cup alone, although perhaps none bigger than the news emerging that Infantino had received a call from US President Donald Trump asking that he review USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s red card.

This card was ultimately suspended for a year allowing the USA’s star striker to compete in their Round of 16 clash against Belgium – albeit in a 4-1 defeat – but the damage was already done, with UEFA releasing a statement accusing FIFA of ‘crossing a red line, and some suggesting his position is untenable.

Candidates linked with perhaps running against Infantino include that of Ceferin, who reportedly isn’t looking to go head-to-head with the current president, which has seen PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi linked to potentially standing in the election.

However, talkSPORT understands he has no ambition to do so at this time, leaving other names like Legia owner Dariusz Mioduski, or CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani.

The challenge is that Infantino’s proposed plans to expand the World Cup for a second successive tournament, this time to 64 teams, is widely supported by CONCACAF, CAF and Asian Football Confederation members.

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