World Cup in the two-year rhythm: Questions & Answers

What does the reform plan look like?

The international play calendar is set by 2024. Germany depends on the European Championship in that year. The US, Canada and Mexico are already determined as hosts of the World Cup 2026. After that, according to the Technical Advisory Group of FIFA, everything will be different: in straight years, the World Championships are played, in odd the continental tournaments such as the EM and Copa America. FIFA Director Arsene Wenger had narrated in the Wenger interview exclusively by the plans. But there should not be more games. On the contrary, Wenger was that in the new game calendar solid resting phases for the professionals were planned and due to significantly less, for longer release periods for international matches less traveling. An option provides that the leagues are only interrupted in October / November, before only in summer the tournaments are pending. More K.-O.-duels, fewer qualifiers. That's what the fans want, Wenger believes.

Read also a commenting analysis: a new World Cup rhythm - who can seriously want this?

Who is against the reform?

Aleksander Cefer, President of UEFA, threatened with Boykott. Several other organizations are against the idea - the European Club Association ECA, associations of the leagues in Europe (European Leagues) and World Leagues Forum) and several fan composites from many EU countries. The value is just that the World Cup is aligned every four years, said Cefer in the British Times . It is waiting for it, it's like the Olympics - a huge event. I do not see that our Confederation supports that. I hope the FIFA comes back. From the Bundesliga, several representatives criticized in recent days - often more plays will be warned.

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How is the DFB positioned to the plans?

The DFB has so far expressed itself very reserved. The DFB considers the current four-year rhythm for the discharge of World Championships in principle, said it in an opinion on Thursday. But the topic should be discussed again in a presidium meeting.

Who actually decides on the play calendar?

The FIFA statutes say that the FIFA Council after consultation with the Confederations establishes an international play calendar, which is binding for the confederations, member associations and leagues . At the 37-member Council, nine UEFA representatives, including Peter Peters, is currently interim president of the German Football Confederation. The World Cup host is determined by the FIFA Congress. Wenger said he wanted to take all 211 FIFA member associations along the way to the new rhythm. But that all vote, initially appears unlikely, this year, at least no decent FIFA congress is planned. FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed, he hopes for clarity by the end of the year.

What does it look like in other sports?

The World Championship only to play every four years is not a peculiarity of football compared to the core team sports. The basketball and volleyballers are also looking for their world champions in this rhythm. In the handball, on the other hand, every two years a World Cup is played, while ice hockey even a world champion is taught every year. Together with the World Cup, the Olympic Games are considered the sports big event par excellence. Winter and summer games are each aligned only every four years, but now at two years, so that the International Olympic Committee IOC earned a lot of money in the two-year rhythm.

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