75% of players want to keep the World Cup every four years

MADRID, Feb. 15 (Royals Blue) –

75% of male professional footballers want the World Cup to be held every four years, according to a survey of more than 1,000 players, organized by FIFPRO (International Federation of Professional Footballers) and national players’ unions on “the workload and competition formats”.

According to the survey carried out last November and published this Tuesday by FIFPRO, the “majority of the players consider that the World Cup and their national league are their favorite competitions” with the current format, thus rejecting FIFA’s idea of ​​the biennial celebration of the World Cup.

The survey collected the opinions of players from all continents, including more than 70 different nationalities, and was supported by the players’ unions, including those of England (PFA), Spain (AFE), Italy (AIC) and France ( UNFP), reports FIFPRO.

Broken down by continent, 77% of players from both Europe and Asia prefer a World Cup every four years, while that percentage drops (63%), but it is still the majority of players from the Americas. For their part, Africans show less support for maintaining the current format (49%) and the rest are divided between a cycle of two or three years.

“Although a clear majority of players support the current World Cup cycle, there is a demand, especially in the smaller and medium-sized markets, to further develop and strengthen national team competitions. This is in line with FIFPRO’s position to encourage investment in regional competitions, depending on the needs of the local market”, indicates FIFPRO in the publication of the survey.

In addition, several conclusions stand out: “81% of the players consider that their national league or the World Cup, in its current four-year cycle, are their favorite competitions. The national leagues continue to be among the main competitions in the eyes of the players. globally, underlining the importance of protecting and strengthening these markets.

“However, it is also clear that the value that players attribute to international football remains significant. The World Cup, in its current scheduling cycle, consistently ranks high in player preferences across all gaming markets. “, Add.

FIFPRO Secretary General Jonas Baer-Hoffmann said: “The player survey shows that the majority of footballers around the world have a clear preference for playing in the World Cup every four years. At the same time, the results demonstrate the importance of national league competitions for players”.

“Another key finding from players is that only 21% believe their voice is respected and their well-being is properly considered in the context of international football governance. This survey therefore underlines the need to create more frameworks for collective bargaining in our industry, especially internationally,” says Baer-Hoffmann.

FIFPRO announced on the occasion of the survey that “Further results from the ‘FIFPRO Global Player Survey’ relating to ‘player workload, rest and recovery in men’s football’ will be published in the coming weeks”, such as part of the latest ‘FIFPRO Player Workload Tracking’ report in collaboration with ‘KPMG Football Benchmark'”.