FIFA to carry out study on holding World Cup every two years

FIFA will carry out a feasibility study on holding the World Cup and the women’s World Cup every two years after backing a proposal at its annual congress on Friday.

The two competitions are currently held every four years but the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) put forward a proposal for a study of the impact of switching to every two years.

“We believe the future of football is at a critical juncture. The many issues that football has faced have now been further exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic,” said SAFF president Yasser Al-Misehal.

“It is time to review how the global game is structured and to consider what is best for the future of our sport. This should include whether the current four year cycle remains the optimum basis for how football is managed both from a competition and commercial perspective,” he added.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino called it an “eloquent and detailed proposal” with 166 national federations voting in favour with 22 voting against.

Infantino said the study would look into the qualification systems for the tournaments.

(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Toby Davis)