Majority Of Fans Support 'More Frequent' World Cups: FIFA Survey

EFA President Aleksander Ceferin clearly opposed the plans while expressing his concerns, adding that European nations could boycott the World Cup if changes are made.

New Delhi: Sharing a result of an opinion survey, world football governing body FIFA claimed most fans supported "more frequent" men's World Cups. The online poll comes after FIFA's controversial plans to shift a biennial World Cup faced widespread opposition. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin clearly opposed the plans while expressing his concerns, adding that European nations could boycott the World Cup if changes are made as it would threaten their own international tournaments. The survey of 23,000 people was undertaken in the month of July in 23 nations. 

"A survey has provided feedback as part of the feasibility study regarding the frequency of the men's FIFA World Cup," FIFA said in a statement.

"The findings of this online survey, conducted in July 2021, will be used as part of a wider consultation process involving fans, which will take place over several phases.

"Fifteen thousand respondents were identified as expressing an interest in football and the FIFA World Cup, from a broader market research survey involving 23,000 people in 23 countries, across six confederations, commissioned via IRIS and YouGov, independent industry experts.

"Based on initial results, the following conclusions can be drawn:

"The majority of fans would like to see a more frequent men's FIFA World Cup; of this majority, the preferred frequency is biennial; there are considerable differences between the so-called traditional markets and the developing football markets; and younger generations in all regions are more open and interested in change than older generations."