ROME — The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) will hold an election on Monday in Rome to appoint a new president. The vote follows the resignation of Gabriele Gravina from his position as president.

Gravina resigned immediately after Italy's World Cup play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of March. Italy's defeat meant the national team would not participate in the World Cup for the third consecutive tournament cycle. Following this, Gennaro Gattuso resigned as head coach of the national team, and Gianluigi Buffon stepped down as delegation chief. The FIGC has been unable to appoint permanent replacements for these roles prior to the election of a new president.

Giancarlo Abete and Giovanni Malago are candidates for the FIGC presidency. Morning newspapers identified Malago as the leading candidate. Abete, 75, is the current President of the National Amateur Leagues (LND) and previously served as FIGC President between 2007 and 2014. He is running for a second term. Malago, 67, held the position of President of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) from 2013 until 2025 and is currently the President of the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

The election will take place at the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Both candidates are expected to present their programs at the FIGC Assembly on Monday before the vote. The election will be decided by a total of 516 votes, cast electronically and in secret. A candidate must receive 50% plus one of the votes to be appointed as the new President of the FIGC.

Different football entities hold varying percentages of the votes. Serie A has 20 delegates, accounting for 18% of the total votes. Serie B has 20 delegates, holding 6% of the votes. Lega Pro (Serie C) has 57 delegates, representing 12% of the votes. The LND, which Abete leads, has 99 delegates, which constitutes 34% of the votes. The Players' Association has 52 delegates with 20% of the votes, and the Coaches' Association has 26 delegates with 10% of the votes.