FIFA’s controversial project to stage the World Cup every two years instead of the current four-year cycle is back on the table on Monday as world football’s governing body holds a virtual global summit with its 211 member federations.
There will be no vote, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said the idea is to find a consensus — do national federations really want more regular World Cups, or is the plan promoted by Arsene Wenger doomed?Former Arsenal manager Wenger, now FIFA’s head of global development, championed the idea of having a major international tournament every year, alternating between a World Cup and different continental championships.
“There won’t be more matches than before. The idea is about improving the quality of football and competitions.
It is not about money,” Wenger told French newspaper L’Equipe in September.It would be a radical change, given the men’s World Cup has always taken place every four years since its inception in 1930, and the women’s event since 1991.
It is also a change that not everyone seems keen on.European governing body UEFA and CONMEBOL, its South American counterpart, have led the opposition.
