FIFA’s management seeks support from allies on a proposal to hold the World Cup every two years, not four as has always been the case. For now, the African Union, the CAF, has already indicated that it may support the idea as a bloc if it enters the agenda of a future congress – with 56 of the 211 possible votes guaranteed first. will be given from now on.
The proposal emphasizes that the change in format would make the tournament, for example, Africa for the second time – the Cup was held on the continent only once, in 2010, in South Africa. The host candidate was defeated for the 2006, 2010 editions and 2026, Morocco would be a natural choice, but FIFA would encourage a joint application with other countries.
A study group was created to assess the “impact” of holding the tournament every two years. This idea, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino as its main proponent, has two mainstays: 1) to allow more teams to reach the final stage of the competition (and this has led to an increase from 32 to 48 participants). from 2026); 2) Increase the chances of countries hosting the tournament.
Item 2 pleased Africans, who saw it as a remote possibility of hosting the World Cup again in the medium term. In 2010, the tournament moved to the field as FIFA created a rotation to prevent the continent from being defeated in a dispute, so only African countries could apply. Rodizio that lasted only one more World Cup, until one in 2014, in which only Brazil was a competitor in South America.
If FIFA’s idea is approved, the cup would take place every two years after 2026, taking place in North America and for the first time in three countries: the USA, Canada and Mexico. This would be an impetus for the international federation, which would accommodate the many candidates already introduced.
In its current form, with the quadrilateral cup, There are two continents today in 2030 Competitors: South America, an unprecedented quadruple candidacy (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay) and Europe, in which England is interested (FIFA wants to open the spectrum to a project from not only English, but the United Kingdom, in other words, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Spain and Portugal were united in a joint resolution.
China is still in line. The country is now FIFA’s main private partner and will host the first Club World Cup in 2021 with 24 participants, but which was postponed without forecast due to the pandemic. Behind the scenes at FIFA, there are certainly Chinese favorites for the 2034 World Cup, if the current format is maintained. But if you change, everything gets better.
Europeans could get a 2028 edition, South Americans getting a World Cup centenary in 2030, which will return to its origins as it began in Uruguay in 1930, and Chinese and African candidates chosen between 2032 and 2034 Will go
The biennial World Cup will be another piece in the organizational change that FIFA is planning for football after 2024. The unit formed a group led by former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger to discuss new formats for the world calendar. One of the ideas is to leave a month or two apart from holidays exclusively for national team games and the rest for national and continental club competitions. FIFA will have fewer dates, now spread over nine days for five months a year, but will be compensated by the World Cup every two years.
The proposal for the biennial cup was presented by the Federation of Saudi Arabia at a congress held virtually in late May. In fact, a bureaucratic act, the movement to analyze the idea came from a group led by Wenger, but required a union to pay for it. If the commission created gives a positive opinion, approval will be required through Congress with a vote of 211 member unions – those are annual meetings, held between May and June and the next in 2022.
