Former Arsenal boss also wants single annual period of international qualifiers
\n PARIS
\nFormer Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has called for the World Cup to be held every two years in an interview with French sports daily L\u2019Equipe published on Friday.
\nThe 71-year-old Frenchman, who is now director of development at FIFA, also called for a single annual period of international qualifiers in a global football calendar.
\n\u201cThe principle would be a grouping of qualifiers every year, and at the end of the season a major competition, World Cup or continental championship,\u201d said Wenger.
\n\u201cBetween the two qualifying windows, the player would stay in his club all year round.
\n\u201cThere must be less of a mix in the calendar between the periods of club football and periods of international football, and therefore fewer transcontinental trips for the players, for example.\u201d
\nWenger said he would like to see a single international window, perhaps in October, with fewer qualifying matches.
\n\u201cFor the players, there will be no more matches, and there will be compulsory rest after the final stages, at least 25 days,\u201d said Wenger who sees his proposed new format coming into action in 2028, two years after the 2026 World Cup in North America.
\n\u201cWhat people want today are high-stakes, easy-to-understand competitions,\u201d he said, insisting there is \u201cno financial intention behind it\u201d.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a global project, for men\u2019s football, but also for women\u2019s football and youth competitions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Arsenal boss also wants single annual period of international qualifiers PARIS Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has called for the World Cup to be held every two years in an interview with French sports daily L\u2019Equipe published on Friday. The 71-year-old Frenchman, who is now director of development at FIFA, also called for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n