Wenger meets national team coaches to discuss proposal to hold the World Cup every two years

FIFA said on Monday it had invited all 211 men's national team coaches to meet to discuss the proposal to hold the World Cup every two years as well as the new schedule for international matches.

The meeting will be held via video technology on Tuesday and Thursday, and discussions will be led by Arsene Wenger, who is responsible for development at FIFA.

UEFA has vowed to oppose the proposal and sources told Reuters on Friday that European national associations would refuse to take part in any new tournaments or implement any new international match schedule if the proposal was approved during a voting session in December.


"The participation of national team coaches will play a prominent role in this discussion," Wenger said in a statement.

"The chances of meeting between us are few and far between, but we must take advantage of this occasion because such dialogue helps us all to preserve the unique position of football in the world."

Wenger had said that FIFA was considering holding the World Cup and the European Championship every two years, with a review of the competition schedule, provided that it depended on a tight schedule for qualifying matches and the need for rest periods for the players.

Wenger is a close advisor to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and has said the current situation of holding the World Cup every four years is unfair to players and the focus should be on playing in "tournaments of value".

The French coach also believes that the number of international breaks should be reduced to play matches during the domestic league season.

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