Details Egypt's central role in the relationship between FIFA and Saudi Arabia, orchestrated through FIFA president Gianni Infantino's adviser Mario Gallavotti. This comes as the Egyptian national team holds second place in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group with 5 points from 3 matches.
Mario Gallavotti is a long-time close adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, with a relationship spanning over two decades. Former FIFA audit committee chair Tomaž Vesel said Gallavotti "has a more political role than anybody in FIFA." Gallavotti helped build FIFA's close ties with Saudi Arabia, which culminated in the kingdom being awarded the 2034 World Cup by acclamation.
Egypt was a key node in this network. The Egyptian Football Association was a defender of Infantino during FIFA's governance crisis. FIFA invested at least $6.65 million in the EFA's headquarters and technical centre in Cairo, which Infantino personally inaugurated in 2021.
When Saudi Arabia sought a partner for a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, it considered Italy, Egypt, and Greece. Italy rejected the proposal due to concerns over Saudi Arabia's human-rights record and tensions with Egypt over the murder of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni. Riyadh then explored a tripartite bid with Egypt and Greece, reportedly offering to finance new stadiums in both countries in exchange for staging roughly 75% of the tournament in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia later abandoned its 2030 plans and pursued hosting the following tournament alone.
Further connections appear through the regional broadcasting dispute that accompanied the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar. Saudi-based pirates targeted Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports, which holds major football rights across the Middle East and North Africa. Egypt's competition proceedings against beIN and the Confederation of African Football began in 2016, before the blockade.
The Egyptian Competition Authority submitted a complaint to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, alleging exclusive broadcast packages, the absence of an open tender, and negative effects on Egyptian broadcasters and viewers. Qatari officials reportedly raised concerns with FIFA about Gallavotti's contacts with Egyptian regulators after Egypt moved against beIN.
A regional official said that Gallavotti appeared to control CAF between 2018 and 2021, despite holding no formal position. FIFA directly intervened in CAF's administration during that period, appointing its then-secretary general Fatma Samoura as its General Delegate for Africa in August 2019. FIFA also launched a forensic audit of the Cairo-based CAF.
This emerges as the Egyptian national team continues its journey in 2026 World Cup qualifying. The Pharaohs are second in their group with 5 points, from one win and two draws in 3 games. The team has scored 5 goals and conceded 3, for a +2 goal difference. Their last result was a 3-2 loss to Argentina on 7 July 2026. The recent form shown in the team stats is mixed, with one win, three draws, and one loss in the last five outings (LDDWD).
Infantino is now seeking African and Saudi support during FIFA's current leadership crisis. The Egyptian national team remains central to this political equation, while focusing on securing World Cup qualification through its upcoming fixtures.
