Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 3:22 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 3:24 p.m.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (55) is now Lebanese! In Beirut, the Swiss-Italian official personally received his new passport, had his fingerprints taken and showed the document on camera.
Infantino now has a third citizenship, after the Swiss and Italian ones, and on Instagram he was extremely excited. “PROUD TO BE LEBANESE – OFFICIAL!” and “I love Lebanon and I feel at home in this beautiful country!” wrote the leader of the world forum.
The FIFA president's wife, Leena Al Ashqar, is Lebanese
The reason why the Italo-Swiss took (also) the citizenship of the Near Eastern state? The wife of the FIFA president, Leena Al Ashqar, is originally from Lebanon. The procedure is not at all simple, the current law does not allow Lebanese women to automatically pass on their citizenship to foreign husbands or children, but the FIFA official had “pile”.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left) with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (right) and members of his family at the Presidential Palace in Baabda
The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun (62 years old), personally intervened in his favor, who made an exception and granted it to him through a special regulation – including his family members. A true political VIP pass!
The president of the Football Federation of Lebanon congratulated Gianni Infantino in advance
A few months ago, the president of the Lebanese Football Association, Hashem Haidah, congratulated the head of FIFA for his planned naturalization. For his part, Infantino promised support to the crisis-stricken country.
Most recently, he even talked about the possibility of building a modern national stadium for 20,000 to 30,000 fans, arguing that the citizens of Lebanon deserve it. He also did not stop citing the close ties he has with the country in Southwest Asia.
Infantino was born in Switzerland on March 23, 1970, the son of Italian immigrants. He has 4 children with Leena Al Ashqar and has been the president of the world forum since 2016, when he succeeded Sepp Blatter.
