Arsene Wenger has backed plans to hold the World Cup every two years as part of a revamp of international football. The former Arsenal boss says a quality over quantity approach is needed when organising the international football calendar and is currently carrying out a feasibility study.
Arsene Wenger has always been a visionary when it comes to football and it once again has been reflected in his policies and ideologies. Being the new head of FIFA’s chief of global football development he has undertaken the responsibility of restructuring international football, introducing new avenues. Expressing disinterest in the current system of short international breaks, Wenger believes it’s not suitable for the modern game highlighting the strain it puts on players who have prior commitments to their respective clubs.
FIFA is currently carrying out a feasibility study into making the men’s and women’s tournaments a biennial event rather than every four years, under Wenger’s guidance. He believes that it would be possible to fit more World Cups into the schedule by reducing the number of qualifying games and international breaks during the season and thus striking a balance between club football and international games.
“I always had the feeling that the many shorter breaks were rather unfavourable for the players. Those were always moments of uncertainty. How are the players feeling mentally afterwards? Do you come back hurt?”This is exactly what happened to Robert Lewandowski, who was injured with the Polish national team against Andorra. That ruined Bayern’s entire Champions League season,” Wenger said, reported by Goal.
“The national teams can meet in October, play seven qualifying games for a month and then play the finals of a tournament in June. We want to reduce the number of games, that’s very important because we can see the condition of the players. We guarantee a period of rest after every tournament. Think of it this way: 2026 the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada; 2027 a European Championship and the other continental tournaments; 2028 another World Cup; and so on. The competitions will all remain in place until 2024, and changes can only be made after that. More knockout matches, fewer qualifying games. That’s what the fans want.”