Gianni Infantino has opened the door to further winter World Cups and Club World Cups, saying football needs to “keep an open mind” about moving major tournaments away from the summer.
Discussions are under way about the calendar for the period after 2030, which is a particular point of tension given the increased squeeze being applied by expanded competitions. Fifa has set up a working group to examine the issue, and the global governing body has given itself a headache by awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia. That tournament will almost certainly be staged in winter, as Qatar 2022 was. Infantino suggested the sport should get used to untying itself from the European summer.
“We are already into the nitty-gritty, we are discussing all the time,” he said. “It’s not just about one World Cup, it’s a general reflection. Even to play in some European countries in July it is very, very hot. The best month to play football, which is June, is not used very much in Europe.
“Maybe there are ways we can optimise the calendar, but we are discussing it and we will see when we come to some conclusions. We just have to keep an open mind.”
Infantino was speaking on the sidelines of the European Football Clubs – formerly European Club Association – general assembly in Rome. He had expressed similar sentiments to the event’s 900 delegates, saying: “We should look into the globalisation of the international match calendar.” He cited October and March as “the months you can play everywhere”.
Such a drastic reconfiguration would cause ructions, although Fifa’s ability to implement its wishes may be compromised if a formal complaint against its imposition of the calendar, filed to the European Commission last year by European Leagues, Fifpro and La Liga, leads to proceedings being opened.
Fifa is also looking at ways to expand the Club World Cup. A 48-team structure is possible for its next edition, in 2029, with the potential for a qualifying playoff event that whittles the final number down to 32. Infantino alluded to ambitious plans in his Rome speech, saying Fifa would “work to see how we can make this event bigger, even better, even more impactful”.
Spain and Morocco are favourites to host the 2029 event, which will take place in the summer, although other contenders have been weighed up. A swift return to the US could be entertained and it is understood China, which had been due to host the tournament in 2021 until Covid-19 hit, remains interested.
Fifa is considering holding the Club World Cup every two years after 2029. Qatar is the strong frontrunner to host any 2031 edition, a move that would be made more straightforward if Infantino’s favoured rejig is achieved given a winter scheduling would be inevitable.
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Infantino said any long-term move towards staging domestic league games on other continents would be a “big risk”. On Monday, Uefa said it had given La Liga and Serie A permission to play a match in the US and Australia respectively, emphasising this was granted on an exceptional basis. Fifa’s final say is a formality, but Infantino appeared to suggest the prospect did not sit easily.
“We have a structure whereby we have games at national level, continental level and global level,” he said. “This is the structure that made football the No 1 sport in the world. If we want to break this structure, we take a big risk. If we want to regulate it, then we have to look into it. We have to speak to all the stakeholders.
“I think we need a reflection that is more global on what we want to do. Do we want everyone to play everywhere and do whatever he wants? Fine, Fifa is pretty strong in this respect. Or do we want to have a regulated system that takes into account the interests of everyone at national level, continental level and club level, but also the legitimacy of everyone to organise events and regulate the sport in their own country?”
Among other developments at the EFC general assembly was confirmation of Barcelona’s return to the fold, which had been trailed by the club president, Joan Laporta’s, presence at the official dinner on Wednesday. Barcelona withdrew from the organisation after the abortive Super League project in 2021, which they had driven alongside Real Madrid and Juventus.
The EFC president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, joked that their rekindled relationship had been formalised during a “romantic walk”. Their readmission appears to pour further cold water on any revival of the Super League scheme.