FIFA will hold an online summit with football associations from all over the world next week to discuss their new plans for the international calendars, which include biennial World Cups.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is currently FIFA’s chief of global football development and recently proposed the idea of a World Cup being hosted every two years.
The tournament is currently hosted every four years and is next set to be staged in Qatar at the end of 2022, before the 2026 event is hosted across the United States of America, Canada and Mexico - similar to the staging of Euro 2020.
It’s an idea that’s certainly had a mixed response, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin even suggesting that some players may be denied the chance to play in it if they wish to compete in UEFA's competitions as well.
The summit, which will take place on September 30, is the first step of what FIFA calls the consultation process in a bid to change the current international schedule.
As per the Independent, it is intended to be the first of several opportunities for a "constructive and open debate" on the proposals.
A statement from FIFA on Monday morning read: "FIFA is committed to being a forum for meaningful debate by engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including fans and looks forward to discussions on the sustainable growth of football in all regions of the world, at all levels."
Wenger is confident that the idea has been predominantly supported by the people FIFA have spoken to and his claim has now been backed up by the results of a survey that found that a majority of people supported the idea of a biennial World Cup.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, would like member associations to be ready to vote on calendar changes by the end of 2021.
