World Cup every two years: “FIFA has never proposed a biennial World Cup” according to Infantino

“Let me be very clear: FIFA has never offered a biennial World Cup“. This is what Gianni Infantino said on Thursday from the podium at the annual Congress of the international federation in Doha (Qatar), where this burning issue was not even brought to the agenda. “The last FIFA Congress (in 2021) instructed by a vote the administration of FIFA to study the feasibility of a World Cup every two years“, he recalled.

“FIFA didn’t offer anything at all. She came to the conclusion that it was doable and that it would have repercussions, an impact. The next phase is consultation, discussion, finding an agreement and compromises“, he continued. Leaving his director of development, Arsène Wenger, to advocate in March 2021 the transition to a World Cup every two years, while it has taken place every four years since 1930 for men. and 1991 for women, FIFA had nevertheless given the feeling of a project already tied up.

The organization, which promised more revenue “of solidarity” to each of its federations if the reform were successful and had secured the support of the African and Asian federations, nevertheless struggled to convince that it was really open to all options to reform the international calendar beyond 2024. The UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, at the head of the refusal front with South American Conmebol, said he was convinced in early March that the project, which directly threatens the lucrative Champions League and the wealthy European clubs, was now “excluded“.

After this decline, it will be necessary to see what direction the reform of the calendar now takes: some evoke a return of the Confederations Cup, a mini-tournament with eight selections disputed between 1992 and 2019, or an enlargement to the American teams of the League of Nations, created in 2018 by UEFA. “We must debate to find what is the most suitable for all. The big ones have to get bigger, and the little ones have to benefit from it too. So thank you all for your contributions.“, concluded Gianni Infantino.