Why the FIFA World Cup shouldn't happen every 2 years. (imago Images)
Ever since the advent of the FIFA World Cup in 1930, it has been held regularly every 4 years. Considered the biggest trophy in world football by many, it has come to define the lives of fans as well as players. And this is why any change to it would be met with stern criticism considering fans generally seem to love the competition how it is.
According to a report by Sky Sports, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has proposed a feasibility study into conducting the competition every two years instead of four. The proposal was widely accepted by member countries, with 166 associations voting in favour of it while 22 voted against it. Let us take a glance at how it would be a damaging change.
What makes the World Cup so special is the wait. Fans and players wait for 4 years for the competition to come around, with the winning country knowing that they are the undisputed kings of football for 4 years. If that duration is reduced to two years, it would simply be overkill.
As the frequency of the competition increases, matches in each World Cup would become more and more forgettable. Fans would remember how Italy achieved their World Cup triumph in 2006 but would struggle to remember the Premier League outcome of that season. The longer the wait, the more elusive and desirable the trophy becomes.
There is little doubt that the move is being made for many reasons. It can be packaged to make it look like it is to save international football but money could be a factor here.
Which leads us fans to the question – why fix something that is not broken? Because as for the associations, they would definitely not mind more matches, and better chances to host the tournament themselves.
This would definitely mean the end of friendlies on an international level because of the number of qualification matches that would have to be played. The World Cup participation is going to be increased to 48 nations in 2026. So coupled with that, the qualification matches and the finals tournament itself is added pressure on players.
And it’s a bane for clubs as well, who would have to release their players more often for international duty. With so much at stake in these qualification matches, young players or players deemed not good enough to make the squad’s final cut would not be handed caps in the same way as they are now during international friendlies.
And that brings us to our last point. The number of matches will increase, especially for players from big teams. The suggestion from SAFF is ironic because it comes after the most trying and testing season for some of Europe’s top leagues as Covid-19 forced this season to be truncated.
So, is it really worth any incoming money to diminish the value of the competition? There will be more matches, but it would just feel like any other competition. And God help us if the Euros also start happening every two years after that – and if the Euros happen every four years, it may slowly become more valuable… who knows?
