FIFA and UEFA are both trying to expand the range of football mega-events that they are offering to the public. After the failure of its Super League project in April, the European organization is reacting to FIFA’s new plans to double the frequency of its World Cup by signing a partnership with the South American Football Confederation, Conmebol, for the launch of a new Intercontinental Nations League.
Like the FIFA World Cup, the new tournament would be played every four years, pitting the four finalist teams of the European Championships against the four finalists of the Copa America. The project would start with a dry challenge in June 2022 between Italy and Argentina, which won the latest respective championships.
UEFA and Conmebol have decided to open a joint office in London to study future international strategies. Both of them have strongly criticized FIFA’s poject to hold the World Cup every two years, threatening to ask their members to boycott it. Meanwhile, the executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added its weight by expressing converns over FIFA’s plans at a meeting in Athens a few days ago. The IOC said it was worried about the impact of the project on gender equality, the development of other sports and the players’ physical and mental welfare.
FIFA is currently carrying a feasibility study for the biennial World Cup, which has been formally proposed by Saudi Arabia. It would involve separate tournaments among men’s and women’s teams. A decision may be taken as early as December, but according to the IOC, a wider consultation with other stakeholders in football and international sports federations has “obviously not taken place.”
