World Cup every 2 years
The issue of there being a World Cup scheduled every 2 years instead of 4, has had WHUST members concerned and asking us to consider this as an action point.
We agreed unanimously that we at WHUST are opposed to this idea as it has the potential to dilute/impact our game nationally whilst detracting value and status from what is currently the 4-year cycle.
The World Cup has taken place every four years since the inaugural tournament was held in Uruguay in 1930. Why abandon almost a century’s worth of tradition on a whim and with no evidence that it will improve the global game?
On the contrary, such a move threatens to destroy the already fragile balance between local, domestic, continental, and international competitions and calendars. In particular, it will devalue and endanger the established competitions run by the various confederations—competitions that are just as important to match-going fans as the World Cup itself.
We enjoy the World Cup precisely because it is an extraordinary event. Most of us do not have the time, money, or ability to travel to the other side of the world every 24 months to watch our teams play in a much-diminished competition and half empty stadia.
Football is currently faced with significant problems and challenges—gross inequality within and between leagues and confederations, spiralling costs for fans, and inadequate grassroots infrastructure.
The game needs to change. But it needs to change for the better.
We do not want or need more World Cups.
We want strong, competitive domestic leagues and exciting continental competitions. We want more equitable and sustainable governance at all levels. We want young people to be able to afford to watch the clubs and national teams they love. We want everyone to have an equal opportunity to play and watch the game in a safe and welcoming environment.
We therefore call on FIFA and supportive national football associations to abandon their proposals to impose a biennial World Cup and include fans’ voices in any decisions that affect the future of the game that we fund and make a global spectacle.
We are working with both the FSA and FSE (Football Supporters’ Europe) on this campaign.
UPDATE: 4th April 2022
FIFA has quietly given up on a plan to hold the World Cup every two years.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/sports/soccer/biennial-world-cup-fifa.html?
The divisive efforts to double the frequency of the men’s World Cup, to milk FIFA’s multibillion-dollar cash cow every two years instead of every four, are over. By last fall, European and South American soccer leaders were already threatening a boycott if it came to fruition.
In Doha, Infantino finally raised the white flag.