SportsBusiness: Holding World Cup every two years to generate extra £3.3bn

A whopping £3.3billion, around N1.789trillion, would be the extra revenue generated by world football governing body, FIFA, if World Cup is held once every two years rather than four years.

The debate on whether or not to have the World Cup played biennially has been on for some months, and a global summit is already underway to bring it all to rest.

Delegates at the summit, which include all 211 member associations, were on Monday told that biennial World Cup would generate in excess of £3.3bn in additional revenue over a four-year cycle.

The idea of a biennal World Cup is being pushed by Arsene Wenger, who currently oversees the global development of football at FIFA, a position he assumed shortly after parting ways with Arsenal in 2018.

Ripples Nigeria had reported that the European football governing body, UEFA as well as Europe’s major leagues and South American football’s governing body Conmebol are not buying the idea.

However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has since given its backing. But it is yet to be known how the debate would end.

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Delegates were told the overall financial impact on gate receipts, media rights and sponsorship revenues from a World Cup every two years would result in a predicted increase from £5.3bn for the 48-team tournament due to be held across three countries in 2030 to £8.6bn across a four-year cycle with two World Cups.

The meeting was told that Fifa estimate, on average, national associations would each be allocated around £12.1m in additional funds, although the precise method of distribution was not clarified.

Wenger is determined to reduce the gap in funding between the richest and poorest countries and, in turn, increase the chances of players from the poorest nations being developed to the full extent of their talent.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino says he remains confident a consensus can be reached over plans for a revised football calendar despite fierce opposition from some member associations.

“If I was going to a [Fifa Congress] vote tomorrow probably the majority would vote in favour of World Cups every two years,” he said.

“But we are looking at the entire calendar. We are looking at how we can make football better and we’re looking at how many we can bring on board with a new way of organising football in the future.

“We continue the dialogue, we continue the analysis, we hope that we can make progress one way or the other, or some middle way.”

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