Survey claims 75% of male footballers want World Cup to stay every four years

The debate over a biennial World Cup has been the subject of strong opinions from politicians, sponsors and governing bodies, most commonly in opposition. Now, finally, players have had their say and they appear to be against it too.

A survey by the international players’ union Fifpro has found that 75% of players in the men’s game want the tournament to continue on a four-year cycle. It also has good news for organisers Fifa, however, showing that players consider the World Cup to be the most important competition in the professional game, alongside their own domestic leagues.

Compiling the response of 1,000 current professionals from across six continents and more than 70 nationalities, the survey found the strongest opposition to the tournament in Europe and Asia with 77% of players preferring a World Cup every four years; 63% of players in the Americas were opposed too, but there was less resistance in Africa with only 49% of players supporting the current format and the rest split between a two- or three-year cycle. In total, 81% of players rank either their domestic league, or the World Cup as their favourite competition.

The results are part of a broader Fifpro study into player workload and the football calendar, with the union having expressed frequent concerns that elite players, especially those playing at international level, face greater risk of injury and burnout from overplaying.

“The player survey shows most footballers around the world have a clear preference to play the World Cup every four years,” Fifpro’s general secretary, Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, said. “At the same time, the results demonstrate the importance of domestic league competitions to players. These leagues are the bedrock of our game and we