Five candidates want to replace Blatter with Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa the current favourite to beat Gianni Infantino in Zurich
FIFA members are due to elect a new president and to pass reforms they hope will open an escape route from a scandal symbolised by the downfall of Sepp Blatter.
The result appears uncertain in the lead-up to Friday's vote and experts say that football's leaders will not be able to escape multi-national corruption investigations, even with a new president.
The landmark presidential contest has become an Asia versus Europe battle between Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Swiss UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino.
1. Gianni Infantino, 45, Switzerland
The attorney is running for president by default, it seems. He spent seven years as the right-hand man of former UEFA head Michel Platini, who was also suspended in the bribery scandal with Blatter. Until then, Platini was the favorite to run as the European candidate for president. Infantino has always played the CEO role, with lots of experience navigating soccer's upper echelons. Some have questioned if he would prefer being FIFA's secretary general instead.
2. Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, 40, Jordan
Not that Prince Ali, but wouldn't it be fitting if the Disney song could be playing while FIFA delegates cast their votes? I can see the delegates dancing down the aisle. But, I digress ...
Prince Ali is the youngest candidate in the field and the most progressive. The third son of Jordan's late King Hussein, Ali has studied at some of the finest institutions in the world -- including the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, and Princeton in the U.S. -- and he served in the Jordanian Special Forces.
He was the sole opposition to Blatter in the May 2015 election -- in which he had UEFA on his side -- but he's considered an outsider looking in this time around. UEFA and CONMEBOL (the South American Confederation) have publicly said they are backing Gianni Infantino.
3. Jerome Champagne, 57, France
He attempted to stand at last year’s election but failed to obtain enough nominations. A former French diplomat, Champagne spent 11 years at Fifa until being ousted in 2010 and has been trying to get back in ever since. A Blatter apologist, he is known to enjoy the backing of his former boss, but that has not translated into promises of votes.
4. Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, 50, Bahrain
Sheikh Salman is a cousin of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Salman was president of the Bahrain Football Association before he became president of the Asian Football Confederation in 2013, which then put him on FIFA's executive committee. If you aren't worried about Sheikh Salman being favored to win the FIFA presidential election, you should be.
When he was re-elected as the Asian Confederations president in April 2015, he told the delegates it is important to "stand up for Qatar for their credentials and legitimacy to stage the World Cup 2022." (Legitimacy among these allegations?) He then finished his speech by addressing Blatter: "Dear President, rest assured the Asian football family stands firmly behind you.
5. Tokyo Sexwale, 62, South Africa
The mining multi-millionaire is also a politician, anti-Apartheid activist and former political prisoner. Interestingly, he does not have the backing of his own African Confederation. He was imprisoned on Robben Island along with Nelson Mandela before joining the post-apartheid government in South Africa. He went on to become a billionaire oil and diamond-mining magnate and help organise the 2010 World Cup, the bidding process for which is under criminal investigation. Sexwale has strenuously denied accusations he received kickbacks worth hundreds of millions of dollars in relation to a mining deal. His election campaign has failed to take off.