Gianni Infantino keen on drastic World Cup scheduling change

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is keen on holding the World Cup every three years in the future and also wants the tournament to take place in winter again.

The 2022 World Cup was like no other, with the heat of Qatar’s summer forcing them to host it in winter instead, right in the middle of the European club season.

There were concerns that players would be worn out and highly prone to injuries, damaging the quality of football at the tournament, but that didn’t prove to be the case with a number of extremely entertaining matches taking place and some of the sport’s biggest names being at their best.

That, along with the fact that record revenues were generated, has convinced Infantino that World Cups should be held at this time of year again in the future, according to the Daily Mail.

That’s not the only change the FIFA boss wants to make either, with the report adding that Infantino wants the tournament to take place every three years rather than every four.

It’s by no means the first time such a plan has been heard of with the governing body previously proposing a World Cup every two years and clashing with UEFA and CONMEBOL as a result.

The European and South American organisations are likely to be opposed to the new ideas as well, but Infantino won’t be able to introduce them any time soon either way with the next edition of the World Cup guaranteed to take place in the summer of 2026 in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

That tournament will introduce some changes though, with 48 teams taking part for the first time and a new format yet to be decided.