The president of Fifa, in the press conference in Qatar, made the new planetary tournament official
It had been in the air for a while but, thanks to the pandemic, it was postponed at least a couple of times. In the closing press conference of Qatar 2022 the president of FIFA Gianni Infantino has officially re-proposed the project of: “A new Club World Cupa tournament at 32 teamswhich will take place in 2025. There will be the best 32 clubs in the worldHowever, Infantino did not provide any details on the structure and venue of this competition.
The FIFA president also announced that: “There will also be the Women’s Club World Cup and a Women’s Futsal World Cup. When it comes to the international match schedule, we have to take the health and well-being of the players into consideration. We have to make sure there is a rest period for the players, a holiday period, ideally 72 hours between matches. Now we will consult on all these topics and dig deeper.”
Infantino also addressed the topic of the next World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexicothe first to 48 teams: “The impact of soccer will be huge in North America. Revenues will increase in terms of broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and hospitality, thanks to the increase in 48 teams. We will play in huge stadiums which are usually used for American football. In Qatar, the four-team groups were absolutely incredible. We need to review, or re-discuss the format. 16 groups of 3 or 12 groups of 4? It is an aspect that will be on the agenda of the next meetings”.
The FIFA president then made a positive assessment of Qatar 2022: “This World Cup has shown an enormous strength of cohesion: FIFA thanks all those who have been involved, Qatar, the volunteers: have made this edition the best ever. Football has become truly global, as evidenced by the first African team in the semi-finals. We had the first female referee. Over three million spectators at the stadium, 5 billion in front of the TV. The atmosphere was joyful. An incredible success”.
Infantino also spoke about the controversy related to theuse of the ‘One Love’ band to show solidarity with those who are discriminated against for their sexual tastes: “Everyone is free to express their beliefs, in a respectful way, but when it comes to the playing field, football must be protected. Between one match and another, everyone can express their opinion, but for 90 minutes, let’s enjoy this moment of joy. The legacy of the World Cup is also a better knowledge of the Arab world. The Cup has contributed a bit to a mutual understanding, and it’s very positive from a non-football perspective.”
