Ceferin to seek re-election as UEFA President
The Slovenian aims for his fourth term as UEFA President. This is possible due to a change in the statutes.
Aleksander Ceferin has changed his plans and intends to run again in the 2027 UEFA presidential election.
The Slovenian announced this, according to information from "Sportschau", at a meeting of the 55 UEFA member associations in Berlin. At the Congress on April 22, 2027, in Astana, Kazakhstan, Ceferin aims to stand for another term until 2031.
Decision Revised
Just two years ago, the 58-year-old had pursued a different plan. After the 2024 UEFA Congress in Paris, Ceferin said: "I am not planning to run again in 2027." He has now officially revised this decision.
Such a move had been hinted at for some time. Ceferin receives significant support from the European associations, and no other official has publicly expressed interest in succeeding him so far.
UEFA Amended its Statutes in 2024
The fact that Ceferin can even run for another term is linked to a controversial amendment to the UEFA statutes. This was decided at the 2024 Congress.
Accordingly, Ceferin's first term from 2016 to 2019, which he took up after Michel Platini's resignation, is not counted towards the three-term limit.
Sparked Criticism
Thus, his term from 2019 to 2023 formally counts as his first, and the current period from 2023 to 2027 as his second term. Another election would therefore legally constitute a third term within the meaning of the statutes – and could last until 2031.
The amendment to the statutes had already sparked criticism in 2024. Critics at the time suspected that Ceferin wanted to keep open the possibility of another term. UEFA, however, justified the adjustment with legal reasons.
