Report: Some European Nations Considering FIFA Exodus Amid Biennial World Cup Talks

More than a dozen European nations are considering the possibility of leaving FIFA if the governing body goes forward with proposals to make the World Cup every two years rather than every four years, per Rob Harris of the Associated Press. 

Per that report, FIFA President Gianni Infantino pitched the idea of a biennial World Cup on a Tuesday call. Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has also publicly attempted to garner support for the change. 

The nordic federations of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands already hinted at the possibility of FIFA withdrawal in a statement last week. 

"If a majority in FIFA decides to adopt a proposal on (biennial) FIFA World Cups, the Nordic football associations will need to consider further actions and scenarios that are closer to our fundamental values than what the current FIFA proposal stands for," the joint statement read.

And UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin already publicly threatened a European boycott of a biennial World Cup.

“We can decide not to play in it. As far as I know, the South Americans are on the same page. So good luck with a World Cup like that," he told The Times (h/t Reuters) in September. "I think it will never happen as it is so much against the basic principles of football. To play every summer a one-month tournament, for the players it’s a killer. If it’s every two years it clashes with the women’s World Cup, with the Olympic football tournament."

Losing UEFA's support would be a major blow, and a hardline stance from the European federation wouldn't come as a surprise.

For one, UEFA rakes in around $14 billion every four years, compared to $6 million for FIFA, per Harris. The European federation likely wouldn't be keen to see FIFA eat into that pie with a biennial World Cup, one that would put pressure on clubs to more regularly release key players for international duty and could interfere with major competitions like the Champions League. 

It would also be an increased burden on players who already are playing a full schedule of games for club and country, both in the men's and women's game. 

"The feasibility study about a biennial World Cup has not been concluded or presented yet," UEFA said in a statement. "Nevertheless FIFA seems to be trying to push through a revolution without being able to demonstrate the benefits of it."