Countries across Concacaf — the confederation that governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean — are considering formally withdrawing their support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, according to the Guardian.

The shift is dramatic. Before the World Cup, all 41 Concacaf members submitted letters of endorsement for Infantino's re-election campaign. Now, many of those same nations are weighing whether to pull those letters back. At an emergency Concacaf meeting held on Friday, 31 July, several countries pledged to withdraw their backing — and some may have already done so privately.

Concacaf's alignment with Uefa, European football's governing body, was described as strong by a source who attended the meeting. Uefa members have been moving against Infantino for days. Finland became the first of FIFA's 211 member associations to publicly withdraw its letter of support. The Football Association of Wales followed, and its chair, Laura McAllister, had earlier proposed a World Cup boycott at an emergency Uefa meeting. The English FA is understood to have written to FIFA withholding its backing as well.

The roots of American displeasure run particular. The United States Soccer Federation is deeply unhappy with Infantino over his dealings with Donald Trump during the Folarin Balogun affair — a dispute over the striker's international eligibility. The US, along with Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica, is bidding to host the 2031 Women's World Cup. There are no rival bids on the table, and FIFA will decide the host at an extraordinary general meeting in November, giving those four nations leverage but also a reason to tread carefully.

Victor Montagliani, the Canadian who presides over Concacaf, is widely tipped as a potential challenger to Infantino in next March's presidential election. He has called for a thorough review of FIFA's governance. But he has not committed to running. Montagliani told the Guardian his priority is re-election as Concacaf president, and his public posture remains one of pushing for reform rather than personal ambition.

Infantino still has backers. Before the World Cup he had collected more than 200 endorsement letters and the public backing of the African, Asian and South American confederations. Within Asia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have reaffirmed their support, alongside Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Kuwait and Bhutan. But the Asian Football Confederation appears to have splintered. Most of its 47 members, including Saudi Arabia, have stayed silent.

Uefa is hoping to attract Asian support, but it is unclear whether the rebels have the numbers to force a genuine electoral contest.

What gives this story its edge is the speed of the reversal. Concacaf's past three presidents were all arrested in the corruption scandals that engulfed FIFA a decade ago, and Infantino once courted the region by promising to raise their grants to $5 million each. The loyalty those gestures bought now looks fragile. His senior adviser resigned in June over World Cup sell-off plans, and the pressure has only compounded since.

A presidential election that looked like a coronation a few months ago now has the makings of a contest — if someone steps forward to make it one.