Could the world's favorite sporting event someday take place twice as often?
That's the proposal that CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, has submitted to FIFA, urging the sport's governing body to hold the World Cup every two years instead of every four years as it has been staged for nearly a century.
“The proposal we have made to FIFA is to play the World Cup every two years and not every four,” CONMEBOL chief Alejandro Dominguez told media on Friday.
“It’s for the players, because they could play four World Cups if we move to a two-year cycle. If we stay with this format many players will not be able to play more than two."
Beyond the idea that players would have more opportunities to participate in the iconic tournament, generating additional revenue for FIFA and its membership and spreading hosting rights across the world also appear to be major factors in this proposal.
“There are many solutions. We could hold the tournament in Europe, South America, North America, Africa and Asia without such a long wait. So we see an opportunity there and there is a proposal put forward to FIFA,” said Dominguez. “In terms of economics, FIFA make money and give more money.”
As drastic as CONMEBOL's proposal may sound, Dominguez suggested that he sees the idea as the starting point for a wider conversation among the global game's top officials.
“I always say we have to work together and never say no,” he said. “I always say why not.”
