HOOFDDORP, Netherlands: Seventy-five percent of men’s professional footballers want to keep the FIFA World Cup every four years, according to a survey of over 1,000 players organized by FIFPRO, the worldwide representative organisation for professional footballers, and national player unions about workload and competition formats.
Most players rank the World Cup and their domestic league as their favourite competitions, the survey found. Only 21% of players believe the voice of players is respected and that their well-being is considered in the context of international football governance.
FIFPRO and its domestic member unions surveyed men’s players in November following a proposal by FIFA to switch to a biennial format. FIFPRO said at the time the proposal was first mooted that any plans to change the match schedule must have the agreement of players and began a process to canvas their opinion as part of a wider consultation on player workload in the men’s game.
The survey gathered the opinions of players from six continents, including over 70 different nationalities and was supported by player unions including those in England (PFA), Spain (AFE), Italy (AIC) and France (UNFP). Players were questioned on a variety of topics, including World Cup scheduling and their preferred competitions.
Regional breakdown of survey regarding World Cup frequency:
77% of players from both Europe and Asia prefer a World Cup every four years
63% from the Americas said they favour the tournament every four years
49% of African players favour a World Cup every four years, with the remainder split between a two or three-year cycle.
While a clear majority of players support the current World Cup cycle, a demand exists, particularly in smaller and medium-sized markets, to further develop and strengthen national team competitions. This aligns with FIFPRO’s position on encouraging investment into regional competitions, based on the requirements of the local market.
Key findings of the survey regarding competition preferences highlighted:
81% of players rank either their domestic league or the World Cup, in its current four-year cycle, as their favourite competition.
Domestic leagues remain among the leading competitions in the eyes of players globally, underlining the importance of protecting and strengthening these markets. However, it is also clearly apparent that the value which players attribute to international football remains significant. The World Cup, in its current scheduling cycle, ranks consistently high in the preferences of players across the playing markets.
FIFPRO general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann said: “The player survey shows most footballers around the world have a clear preference to play the World Cup every four years.
“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 have to do more to strengthen them both for the sake of players and the overall stability of professional football.”
Further results from the FIFPRO Global Player Survey relating to player workload, rest and recovery in the men’s game will be released in the coming weeks as part of the latest FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring men’s football report in conjunction with KPMG Football Benchmark.
