Arsene Wenger has called for the FIFA World Cup to be held every two years from the year 2028 in a move that would dramatically change the landscape of international football.
The former Arsenal manager, who is currently FIFA's head of global development, has provided fans with an outline of his bold ideas in an interview with French publication L'Equipe on Friday.
He believes an annual period in each year for international qualifiers would be an ideal solution for all involved.
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"The principle would be a grouping of qualifiers every year, and at the end of the season a major competition, World Cup or continental championship," Wenger said.
"Between the two qualifying windows, the player would stay in his club all year round.
"There must be less of a mix in the calendar between the periods of club football and periods of international football, and therefore fewer transcontinental trips for the players, for example."
Wenger, who wants the new format to be introduced in 2028, two years after the 2026 World Cup in North America and Mexico, believes the calendar will mean less travel for players.
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In fact, players would see a compulsory rest time of 'at least' 25 days afterwards.
"There will be the same number of matches as before, and players will go on international duty less often.
"The idea is really to improve the level of play and competitions, there's no financial incentive behind it, especially as FIFA redistributes the money to all of the federations around the world to develop football in their countries.
"For the players, there won't be more matches, and there will be a compulsory rest time after international competitions - 25 days at least, as I see it."
The subject of hosting a World Cup every two years has been met with criticism by some. Giving up club football for a long period in October - and whether fans would get bored - was brought up in the interview.
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"It would be a time completely dedicated to qualifiers and to national teams, which would create a tension which doesn't exist today.
"I think it's an interesting idea. I've been working on it for six months now, consulting on it, and the reception has been 100% favourable.
"It's a well-thought-out overhaul, but then I'm not the one who will be voting on it."
So what would grouping the qualifiers look like? "It means that instead of ten qualifiers, there would be six, for example in four-team groups," he added.
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"Nowadays, for the Euros 24 out of 55 teams qualify, close to half, while friendly matches are less and less important for audiences and qualifiers attract less interest than they did 15-20 years ago.
"What people want are competitions with high stakes, that are easy to understand. That's why it must be done, for audiences and to improve football."
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Featured Image Credit: PATopics:ย FIFA, Arsene Wenger, World Cup, France
