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Victor Montagliani

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Victor Montagliani
Vice president of FIFA from CONCACAF
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 2016
Preceded bySunil Gulati
7th President of CONCACAF
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 12, 2016 (2016-05-12)[1]
Preceded byAlfredo Hawit
33rd President of the
Canadian Soccer Association
In office
May 5, 2012 (2012-05-05)[2] – May 7, 2017 (2017-05-07)[3]
Preceded byDominic Maestracci
Succeeded bySteve Reed
Personal details
BornVittorio Montagliani[4]
(1965-09-12) September 12, 1965 (age 60)
East Vancouver, Canada
EducationSimon Fraser University
Signature

Vittorio "Victor" Montagliani (Italian: [montaʎˈʎaːni]; born September 12, 1965) is a Canadian businessman, soccer executive, and the president of CONCACAF. He is a vice president of the FIFA Council. Montagliani was previously the president of the Canadian Soccer Association from 2012 to 2017.

Biography

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Montagliani was born in East Vancouver to an Italian family.[4] He is a former player of amateur soccer club side Columbus F.C., where his father was club president.[5][6] Montagliani also played futsal and was called up to the Canada national team until injuries prevented him from playing professionally.[5] He graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 and worked as a flight attendant[5] and in the insurance industry.[7][8] In his professional career, Montagliani was a manager at Hogan & Cox Insurance Adjusters in Maple Ridge before being transferred to Vancouver in 2003.[9]

In 2002, he returned to soccer as an administrator and joined the Vancouver Metro Soccer League board. Montagliani became the president of the British Columbia Soccer Association in 2004 and was named to the board of the Canadian Soccer Association.[5][7] During his time at BC Soccer, Montagliani was supportive of Sikh players wearing a patka should they want to, after a match official had told a 17-year-old player to remove it or leave the game.[10] Montagliani was elected the vice president of the Canadian Soccer Association in 2005 and served several terms during preparations for the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[8] He was then voted in as president of the Canadian Soccer Association in May 2012.[11] Montagliani led the association as it guided the delivery of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and the creation of the Canadian Premier League under the Canada Soccer Business, a private company that manages Canadian soccer media rights. He was also accused of downplaying allegations of sexual assault by former women's coach Bob Birarda during his tenure at the CSA.[5]

In July 2012, Montagliani was one of the primary proponents who first proposed that Canada bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[12] This early advocacy laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the successful tripartite United Bid alongside the United States and Mexico, which was awarded the hosting rights in 2018.[13] Montagliani also opposed the 2015 re-election of Sepp Blatter as FIFA president and was part of a task force to stabilize CONCACAF operations after the 2015 corruption case conducted by U.S. authorities.[5][14]

In February 2016, Montagliani announced his intention to run for CONCACAF president.[15] He won the presidency on May 12, 2016, defeating Larry Mussenden of Bermuda to become the first person from outside of the Carribean to hold the post since 1969.[5][16] Montagliani was unanimously reelected in 2023.[5] In 2024, he was paid over $3 million USD by CONCACAF and $300,000 from FIFA.[17]

Montagliani has emerged as a leading candidate for the FIFA presidency, but has not formally announced his candidacy for the 2027 election.[5][14]

References

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  1. ↑ "CONCACAF Elects New President, and Members of CONCACAF and FIFA Councils". CONCACAF. May 12, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Montagliani elected Canadian Soccer Association President". Canada Soccer Association. May 6, 2012. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Canada Soccer enters new era with approval of Canadian Premier League | Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Hall, Matthew (June 29, 2026). "How Victor Montagliani rose to the Fifa elite despite past controversies" – via The Guardian.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hall, Matthew (June 29, 2026). "How Victor Montagliani rose to the Fifa elite despite past controversies". The Guardian. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Columbus to seek society status". Whitecaps.com (via Burnaby Now). July 4, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Victor Montagliani's passion for soccer drives his bid to make Canada a global player". The Province. June 26, 2015. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Squizzato, Daniel (May 18, 2016). "Canada's hope: How Victor Montagliani rose to CONCACAF's top spot". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Insurance West" (PDF). Winter 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Turban allowed on soccer field". Tribune. September 10, 2005.
  11. ↑ "New president of Canada Soccer Montagliani intent on lifting profile". Tribal Football. May 9, 2015.
  12. ↑ Ben Rycroft (July 6, 2012). "Canadian Soccer Association to bid for 2026 World Cup". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  13. ↑ "World Cup 2026: Canada, US & Mexico joint bid wins right to host tournament". BBC Sport. June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Houpt, Simon (August 6, 2026). "Why Canada's Victor Montagliani is touted as a front-runner to replace Gianni Infantino". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Victor Montagliani, Canada Soccer boss, to run for CONCACAF presidency". CBC. February 8, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Canadian soccer boss Victor Montagliani wins CONCACAF election". torontosun.com. May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  17. ↑ Hall, Matthew (January 23, 2026). "Concacaf president revealed to make $3m a year for five hours' work per week". The Guardian.
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