Premier League Clubs Unanimously Oppose FIFA’s World Cup Plan

Premier League clubs have unanimously opposed FIFA’s push to double the frequency of the World Cup to every two years.

“The Premier League is committed to preventing any radical changes that would adversely affect player welfare and threaten the competitiveness, calendar, structures, and traditions of domestic football,” said Richard Masters, the league’s chief executive.

A biennial World Cup was first brought to the table in September after FIFA released results of a 15,000-person survey indicating global support for the change from every four years to two.

Since then, several entities have been outspoken in opposition.

• In September, the European Club Association, a body representing 234 clubs, issued a statement condemning the proposal.
• Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted voiced his own opposition in October, citing a crowded soccer landscape. The company is the official ball supplier for the World Cup.
• The IOC believes FIFA’s plan would put additional strain on athletes and could affect sponsorships of the Olympics. 
• UEFA and CONMEBOL also oppose the idea.

A biennial World Cup would essentially double FIFA’s profits. The governing body pockets roughly $4.6 billion in a four-year cycle, with nearly all of that made during a World Cup year.