FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the biennial World Cup will provide more FIFA revenue to share among its 211 member associations.
“We have been advised by independent experts that a switch to a biennial FIFA World Cup would provide a combined additional $4.4 billion in revenue from the first four-year cycle, with these funds being distributed across our 211 member associations,” said Mr Infantino.
Mr Infantino disclosed this at FIFA Global Summit held on Monday online and attended by 207 out of 210 eligible member associations.
“This additional revenue would allow solidarity funding to move from the current level of $6 million per cycle to up to potentially $25 million on average per FIFA member association in the first four-year cycle,” explained the FIFA boss, “with the actual distribution being subject to FIFA’s governance principles.”
According to FIFA, two independent feasibility studies by Nielsen and OpenEconomics projected a strong upturn in football’s economic situation for FIFA’s 211 member associations should the women’s and men’s FIFA World Cups move to a biennial format.
Championed by its head of football development at FIFA, ex-Arsenal coach Arsenal Wenger, FIFA recently proposed the biennial World Cup, an idea opposed by UEFA member associations.