FIFA will hold an online summit on December 20 to discuss the feasibility of a biennial World Cup, rather than staging the competition every four years.
The proposal has drawn widespread opposition from leagues, players, and supporters groups, but has notably received the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which accounts for 54 of FIFA’s 211 member associations.
AFP Sport examines the rationale behind FIFA’s plans:
What are the main reasons for FIFA’s proposal?
FIFA’s central argument is that a biennial World Cup would create more profits that could be distributed to federations in Africa, Asia and South America, who have a greater reliance on FIFA funds than the wealthy European leagues.
President Gianni Infantino also wants to “make football truly global” and open up the tournament to smaller countries, which will partially be addressed by the expansion to 48 teams from 2026.
“When we scratch beneath the surface, we see that top football is very much confined to a small group of countries,” Infantino said this week in Doha. “It is our job to narrow this gap.”
No team outside Europe or South America has ever reached the World Cup final. Next year’s tournament will be the first held in the Middle East, with 16 of 21 previous editions organised by UEFA or CONMEBOL members.
Infantino not only wants more World Cups but more joint hosts too.
“Right now, the World Cup doesn’t come back to a continent for 24 years and that’s more than a generation.”
