Canada's Victor Montagliani has served as CONCACAF President since 2016 ©Getty Images

Canadian official Victor Montagliani has been re-elected unopposed as President of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) at the Ordinary Congress attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Antigua Guatemala.

Montagliani beat Bermuda's Larry Mussenden to the Presidential role in 2016, completing the term of the disgraced Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands.

He was re-elected unopposed in 2019, and achieved the same result in Guatemala for a fresh four-year term running until 2027.

All 41 CONCACAF members voted for Montagliani, who serves as FIFA vice-president by virtue of his role with the continental body.

CONCACAF has credited Montagliani with introducing governance reforms, launching a women's football strategy and creating several initiatives to support National Federations.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup expanded from 12 to 16 teams for the 2019 edition, while the inaugural Nations League began in 2018.

Montagliani's term is set to include CONCACAF nations staging the men's FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1994, with the United States, Canada and Mexico due to co-host the 2026 edition.

He thanked National Federations for their support, and vowed to serve their interests in his latest term.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, attended the CONCACAF Congress and congratulated FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, left, on his re-election ©Getty Images
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, attended the CONCACAF Congress and congratulated FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, left, on his re-election ©Getty Images

"I have said many times before that leadership is about service, not power," he said.

"And my commitment to continue serving and supporting all of our Member Associations is unbreakable.

"In CONCACAF our unique characteristics are our grit, our passion, and our perseverance to achieve our long-term goals.

"These characteristics, combined with our unity, are the 'secret sauce' of CONCACAF and I truly believe that world football could do with more of CONCACAF.

"In delivering our ongoing mission to develop football in our wonderful region, we will continue to be authentic in our dialogue, in our interactions, and in our football."

International Olympic Committee member and head of FIFA Infantino attended the Congress, and congratulated Montagliani.

"I want to say it here very clearly that Victor Montagliani is the best [thing] that could have happened to CONCACAF," the Swiss official said.

"He came in at a difficult time, you all know that, and his qualities, his integrity, his passion, his loyalty, make CONCACAF what it is today - a Confederation which is focusing on football."

CONCACAF is set to receive increased representation at the expanded World Cups, with between six and eight teams set to compete in the 2026 men's competition and six in this year's women's tournament.

Gianni Infantino, left, claimed that expended World Cups would allow CONCACAF nations to start
Gianni Infantino, left, claimed that expended World Cups would allow CONCACAF nations to start "planning" and "investing" ©Getty Images

Infantino claimed that this would provide greater opportunities for CONCACAF nations at the Congress.

"It means that, of course, you can start planning, you can start investing - you, your Governments, your cities, in football, in football development, both for girls and for boys, for men and for women," he said.

Infantino himself is set for unopposed re-election at next month's FIFA Congress in Rwanda's capital Kigali, extending his tenure which dates back to 2016.

CONCACAF and UEFA are the only two of FIFA's Continental Confederations who have not publicly backed him.

In this year's other Continental Confederation elections, Asian Football Confederation President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain was re-elected unopposed, and his UEFA counterpart Aleksander Čeferin is set to have the same luxury in April.

At the CONCACAF Congress, a further seven positions were decided with only one candidate.

Costa Rica's Rodolfo Villalobos was elected as FIFA Council member for Central America, while Barbados' Randolph Harris, Canada's Nick Bontis and Honduras' Jorge Salomon were elected as CONCACAF vice-presidents.

Bontis yesterday resigned as Canadian Soccer Association President, having come under heavy pressure from the men's and women's national teams for a failure to resolve a labour dispute.

Sonia Fulford of Turks and Caicos Islands was elected to the CONCACAF Council, with the US' Cindy Parlow Cone and Belize's Sergio Chuc appointed for North America and Central America respectively.