Towards a World Cup every two years
Big fans of the World cup, that’s for you! Guess what? No more choice between the Olympic Games or the World Cup, you will now be able to follow both! Big fans of the World cup, that’s for you! Guess what? No more choice between the Olympic Games or the World Cup, you will now be able to follow both!
This idea is not new and Fifa has been considering it for some time. Since the end of May, the world organisation has been conducting a "feasibility study" suggested by the Saudi Arabian federation (very close to Fifa president Gianni Infantino). And Gianni Infantino has declared himself open to "anything" to reshape the calendar, posing as the only bulwark against inequalities in football. The main reason for this change is to offer a World Cup more revenue to be redistributed. In particular to African, Asian and South American federations, which are more dependent on this manna than the prosperous European football.
Not unexpectedly, UEFA was prompt to oppose the reform. President Aleksander Ceferin, the European body, has categorically rejected the idea, which is described as "impossible" in view of the already overloaded calendar. He insists that this would dilute the precious jewel of world football, which is all the more priceless for its rarity. UEFA has been supported by another confederation : Conmebol, the governing body of South American football, which claims that the reform has no sporting justification. But this support is not the only one. UEFA has also received support from fan organisations around the world who have stated their opposition in a joint statement.
However, Fifa has not been discouraged. A survey was launched and its verdict was clear. According to the IRIS/YouGov survey of 15,000 people "with an interest in football" - a very broad definition of "supporterism" - 55% want to see Fifa's premier competition more often than every four years. But 45% want to keep it every four year. We can see that it depends on the age of the fans.
Despite the debate, the joy of some and the disappointment of others, the decision has been taken and will be determined at the end of the year. And you supporters, what choice would you make in their shoes?
https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2021/10/20/fifa-world-cup-2-years-plan/
https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-every-two-years-fifa-plan-uefa-greed-023441265.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW_HEEmkWlA
https://theconversation.com/a-football-world-cup-every-two-years-an-expert-runs-the-numbers-167916
I think the world cup would lose its real charm if it is held more then every four years. Exceptional things are more exciting for a reason! As much as I love to see more quality games where the fight till the bone, there is a limit to it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you I also believe that world cup would lose a lot. It is much more special when it is held every four years. It would be nice to have it every two because of the quality games as you said but it looses a lot of its charm.
DeleteI completely agree with you guys. It is true that I would like to have a worldcup every two years because I love watching football but the truth is that if it was every two years it would not be as special. I like the format we have now because we got the Eurocopa, Copa America, Nations League, Olympic games and the world cup. So we have football almost every summer.
DeleteI think it would be really bad to have a world cup every two years. We already have the European Championship so there is a big tournament every two years. I think the FIFA is also tiring out players to a point of no return. There are a lot of players and trainers complaining about the amount of matches. It would also be less special to win it I think.
ReplyDeleteHi Jesse, I completely agree with you. We are seeking for this competition because the fact that it is held every four years makes it more interesting. In addition, more injuries could be suffered by the players as they should play even more matches in less time. In addition, I believe that holding this competition every 4 years it is great because it gives time to the organizations to plan the logistics of te game and locate millions of fans.
DeleteI believe the World Cup should be held every 4 years just as it is now. The "magic" of it is that it doesn't happen so often and that the anticipation for it is what makes it so desirable by so many. I believe its the ultimate trophy every player wishes to achieve, and if its made more regular and accesible, then it will lose its prestige and desirability. I believe that clubs, players and associations should have more of a say in this, since they are the ones competing, not FIFA who just wants to get more revenue.
ReplyDeleteI have a very strong opinion in this debate. I think the world championship is something you really look forward to. Making it something every two years takes the effect of a 'special event' off. I can also imagine that this is not a nice proposition for the players. This for 2 reasons: Firstly because of the extra amount of matches. They already play enough matches and get more and more exhausted and get injuries faster. A 2nd reason is that if it continues every 4 years, the urge to win it is extra strong. If they don't win, they won't get another chance until 4 years later.
ReplyDeleteAs a football fan, having a World Cup every 2 years takes away its glory, its feelings, and the whole entire vibe. The rarity, the competition, the difficulty, the hope, the 4 years' wait... These are all factors that allow the World Cup to stay as one of the most glorious sporting events in the world, if not the most. It's a shame how football is being changed a lot recently just because they're becoming more greedy and they only care about money rather than the sport and the its fans. It's good just the way it is.
ReplyDeleteYoussef Saleh
It is no coincidence that most of the football industry do not agree with the idea of a world cup happening every two years. From the European countries to even American countries in CONMEBOL and CONCACAF who are in a way more difficult situation to qualify (due the few spots available) they all reject this new idea. Beginning with the horrendous new system that will give 48 countries (instead of the current 32) the opportunity to play the next world cup, playing this tournament every 2 years only takes away all the excitement and the magic of going through the qualifies and play-offs. Yes, we all want to go to the world cup, as we all want a lot of money, but what if everyone owed the exact same amount of money? it loses its worth, as it will the world cup do.
ReplyDeleteI would choose to leave the World Cup calendar as it is, every four years. I think what makes the World Cup so special is that it is not healed that often and football fans have something to look forward two. There is a saying that fits perfectly to this dilemma, "Good things are worth waiting for". We also need to think on the other competitions there are, for example the Copa America, The Euro, Copa Oro, etc. These cups are also held every four years, so if we have the World Cup every two years, it would clash with these other cups and most importantly it would exploit the players and we would not be seeing the good performances we are used to.
ReplyDeleteAlejandro Viladomiu
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a terrible decision, because it would burden other competitions and also would not give the players rest. and without rest the players' careers would be much shorter and they would give a weaker performance for their respective clubs or national teams due to the lack of rest.
For me this proposal is not to make the World Cup more interesting, but they have done it to put more money in their pockets, which in general is what is happening with all new competitions.
The world cup would definetely have much less value if it happens often, and also the pressure will be extreme on the players then the injuries will increase and football as a whole will suffer.
ReplyDelete