FIFA President Gianni Infantino has made a shock move to alter the hosting schedule of FIFA Men’s World Cup after the successes recorded at 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Unlike other FIFA Competitions, FIFA regularly hosts FIFA Men’s World Cup once in every four years. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the 22nd edition of the tournament.
However, football fans may not have to wait till the next four years before the World Cup as FIFA President Gianni Infantino presses for a shorter timeline for the tournament.
According to reports, Gianni Infantino is optimistic about replication the success recorded in the just-concluded Qatar 2022 World Cup if the tournament is hosted every three years instead of the regular four years we all know.
According to Daily Mail, his optimism hinges on the potential to record similar success if the tournament is hosted during mid-winter seasons in Europe.
There was an initial plan already by FIFA to reschedule the FIFA Men’s World Cup from once in every four years to once every two years.
Two confederations – UEFA and the South American confederation, CONMEBOL reportedly kicked against the proposal.
Now, Infantino is offering another proposal, slightly changing from the previous two years plan to three years plan.
His decision is said to have stemmed from both the sporting and commercial success recorded in Qatar.
FIFA has recorded a whooping £840million increase in revenue in the Qatar 2022 World Cup compared to the 2018 edition.
Asia and Africa are the two confederations that have endorsed the move, but Infantino will now have to hurdle through opposition by mainly UEFA and CONMEBOL.
As things stand, the concerns of UEFA and CONMEBOL are increased risk and pressure on players that can stifle other competitions in their domain.
The planned rescheduling of FIFA Men’s World Cup is one of the changes Gianni Infantino is initiating on FIFA competitions.
He has proceeded with the 48-team FIFA Men’s World Cup, which will kick off in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
The tournament will be the first to witness more teams from the six confederations competing for the World Cup trophy.
Teams will be divided into 16 groups consisting of three teams each. Two teams will make it from each group to the next round of the tournament.
Infantino has also proposed an expanded FIFA Club World Cup that will feature 32 teams from the six FIFA confederations.
FIFA Women’s Club World Cup is also on the cards. The Swiss world football executive is optimistic of pushing through his reforms, but there are stiff opposition by the UEFA.
The UEFA is increasingly concerned about the tight schedules of matches and competitions, which will put pressure on players and affect other competitions by six confederations.
