Why Is FIFA Proposing A Biennial World Cup?

FIFA will hold an online summit on December 20 to discuss the feasibility of a biennial World Cup, rather than staging the competition every four years.

FIFA will hold an online summit on December 20 to discuss the feasibility of a biennial World Cup, rather than staging the competition every four years. The proposal has drawn widespread opposition from leagues, players and supporters groups, but has notably received the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which accounts for 54 of FIFA's 211 member associations.

AFP Sport examines the rationale behind FIFA's plans:

What are the main reasons for FIFA's proposal?

FIFA's central argument is that a biennial World Cup would create more profits that could be distributed to federations in Africa, Asia and South America, who have a greater reliance on FIFA funds than the wealthy European leagues.

President Gianni Infantino also wants to "make football truly global" and open up the tournament to smaller countries, which will partially be addressed by the expansion to 48 teams from 2026.