If the planetary competition has always been organized every four years (except in 1942 and 1946 due to the Second World War), the periodicity of the continental competitions differs according to the confederations: CONCACAF (North and Central America) and CAF ( Africa) respectively organize the Gold Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations every two years, while UEFA (Europe) and AFC (Asia) wait four years for each edition of the Euro or the Cup of Nations. ‘Asia. The exception is made for CONMEBOL (South America) and its Copa América, the interval of which differs according to the editions (every two, three or four summers).
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Last May, during the 71st FIFA assembly, the president of the world body, Gianni Infantino, did not rule out the possibility of organizing the World Cup every two years: “Arsène Wenger launched this idea some time ago. We will see, we will discuss and analyze this. But the sporting aspect is the priority, not the commercial aspect. You don’t have to be Einstein to know that if you make it to a World Cup every two years, you’re going to double the income. We have to see first if it makes sense from a sporting point of view ”.
So yes, the idea is supported by Arsène Wenger, but the one who is now director of world football development at FIFA did not propose this project for the same reasons. Indeed, if the boss of world football highlighted the financial aspect of the proposal, the Strasbourg resident had rather focused on eco-responsible and health concerns years un interview given to Le Parisien last March : “Is it reasonable, when we must not be responsible, especially eco-responsible, to increase the number of trips for international breaks?” (in September, October, November and March) ? Is it in line with the evolution of society? We have to reorganize all this, regroup the international dates. One of the solutions is undoubtedly to organize the World Cup and the Euro (and the other continental tournaments) every two years and to stop everything else ”*.
Towards a loss of prestige at the World Cup?
At the announcement of the plan to shorten the waiting time for a World Cup to two years, enthusiasts and professionals were not thrilled, fearing that the value and prestige of the competition if it is scheduled more often. . Once again, the former Arsenal coach has it all: “Contrary to what some say, it will not harm the prestige of these competitions. The Champions League is held every year and it’s very prestigious. People want to see matches that matter, competitions that matter ”, he said in the columns of the daily Ile-de-France. Words that made UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin jump, who spoke to the Portuguese press a few days after the assembly. “It’s an irrational idea, why would we need it? […] The next World Cup, after 2022, will take place in 2026. In 2028, it’s the Euro. If there is a World Cup in 2028, then the European teams will not play it ”. The Slovenian leader also points to the issue of the physical condition of the protagonists: “Imagine what it is like for players to have a one-month tournament at the end of the season. They are more often injured nowadays because they play often, with a full schedule ”.
But the one who would emerge the big winner from the new program is the African Football Confederation, which validated it last July: “The Executive Committee gave its support to the project of a men’s and women’s World Cup every two years, which was formulated at the last FIFA Congress. The committee asked that FIFA be informed of this favorable reception ”, can we read in the press release of the instance. President Patrice Motsepe is delighted, asserting that “Africa could be the biggest beneficiary of a World Cup every two years”. Asked about the question by Le360 Sport, the president of the Moroccan federation Faouzi Lekjaa confirmed the decision of CAF, in which he is also the second vice-president: “A World Cup played every two years, instead of four, would give African teams more opportunities to progress by facing the best teams in the world. This change would also allow the most talented African players to progress and shine on the international stage. Only eight teams won the World Cup, and most of the participants are still the same. We must make the World Cup a more inclusive competition, on the one hand by increasing the number of participants, which has already been established, but also by increasing its frequency ”, he declared to the media sheriffe.
Objective: to go further in the final phase
With this change in frequency, the African selections will have more chances to perform in this competition and glean better results: indeed, the nations of the Black Continent have never done better than a quarter-final in 2010 and Ghana’s unfortunate elimination against Uruguay at the World Cup in South Africa. This news comes in addition to the increase in the places reserved for African teams from the 2026 edition (9 against 5 currently) with the American trio Canada / United States / Mexico, which will see 48 teams compete for the first times in the history of competition.
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