FIFPro survey shows 75 per cent of male footballers want World Cup to stay every four years

As the debate over a biennial World Cup rages on between FIFA, its confederations, clubs, politicians, and fan groups, the players themselves have finally had their say.

In a survey conducted by the global players' union FIFPro, 75 per cent of male footballers want the men's tournament to stay at its current four-year cycle instead of moving to the proposed two.

It's one of the largest surveys of players conducted on the issue so far, compiling the responses of over 1,000 current professional footballers from six different continents and more than 70 nationalities.

The strongest opposition came from players in Europe and Asia, with 77 per cent of those surveyed preferring a four-year World Cup.

Sixty-three per cent of players from the Americas preferred its current format, while 49 per cent of players from Africa wanted to keep the tournament as it was, with the remaining players split between a two- and three-year cycle.

The question was asked as part of a larger study into player workloads and the football calendar as FIFPro continues to research issues of overloading in the men's game, most recently explored in their 2019 report titled «At The Limit».

That report found that the game's top players — those most likely to play in World Cups — are already being drained by an overwhelming number of matches while many of their colleagues play too few due to imbalances in domestic and international calendars.

FIFPro has repeatedly expressed concerns that international-level players are at greater risk of injury and burn-out from over-playing.

Another key finding of this week's survey was that 81 per cent of male players rank either their domestic league or the World Cup (in its current four-year cycle) as their favourite