Three main candidates: Giovanni Malagò (backed by Serie A), Giancarlo Abete (Lega Dilettanti candidate), and a former-player field (backed by Sports Minister Abodi). The election follows Gabriele Gravina's resignation on 2 April 2026.Source: Lowdown reporting

Who was FIGC president before Gravina?

Giancarlo Abete served as FIGC president from 2006 to 2014, the longest modern tenure. He oversaw Italy's 2010 and 2014 World Cup campaigns, both ending at the group stage.

What is the Lega Dilettanti?

The Lega Dilettanti governs amateur and grassroots football in Italy. Its president Giancarlo Abete is standing as the federation's candidate in the FIGC presidential election.

Background

Giancarlo Abete is an Italian football administrator and lawyer. He served as FIGC president from 2007 to 2014, the longest modern tenure, overseeing the national team through the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, both of which ended in group-stage eliminations. He subsequently became president of the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti (LND), governing Italy's vast amateur and grassroots pyramid. LND controls 34% of FIGC assembly votes, making Abete's backing structurally significant in any contested election.

Abete was confirmed as the Lega Dilettanti candidate on 13 April 2026, positioning himself as the grassroots reform choice after Gravina's resignation. His confirmed 34% bloc anchors his candidacy; he expected Lega Pro (12%) to lean his way given Malagò's direct courtship of that bloc. Despite Malagò's 48% confirmed hold, Abete filed his candidacy before the 13 May declaration Deadline. His PATH to victory required the AIC and AIAC swing blocs to withhold from Malagò, creating enough fragmentation to force a second vote.

The legal cloud over the election was lifted on 18 June 2026, when ANAC cleared rival Giovanni Malagò of the pantouflage eligibility challenge that Sports Minister Abodi had raised on 4 June. ANAC found no breach of the three-year cooling-off rule, despite missing its own 15 June Deadline by three days. The 22 June presidential election in Rome is now a clean two-horse race between Malagò and Abete, with 274 delegates voting at the Palazzo dei Congressi. The winner inherits a EUR 5.5 billion club-debt file requiring three parliamentary reforms.