FIFA Chief Gianni Infantino Wants to Move Club World Cup to Winter

Although the World Cup is still far from over, Gianni Infantino is already 'in talks' with the US government over a huge change to the Club World Cup, which looks set to be hosted by dear friend Donald Trump's nation in 2029 as things stand. This summer's tournament - which has been co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico - has been seen as a major success, and that has certainly prompted FIFA to look into improvements for other tournaments they organise in the future. Last summer, Chelsea won the reformatted Club edition at MetLife Stadium. But if the Blues are to replicate their success again in three years' time, then it will come in very different circumstances given the sweeping changes that are planned. The Two Huge Changes FIFA Are Looking to Make For Club World Cup As per the Guardian, FIFA's desire to expand the Club World Cup to 48 teams in 2029 - reportedly supported by major European clubs - is a potential complicating factor for any other host bidders and could strengthen any US bid. That huge change would reflect the expansion that the World Cup underwent this year, with the likes of Cape Verde and Curacao not only managing to make their tournament debuts, but also contributing to some special footballing narratives along the way after the former pushed Argentina to the wire in the Round of 32 before needing extra-time to be knocked out. A more controversial call, however, could see the tournament moved from summer to winter, reflecting the unpopular Qatar 2022 edition. This would certainly go down poorly with clubs, who will want to keep their players as fit as possible in an already-congested football calendar. It would also not go down with players, who are already considering a boycott if they are forced to play any more matches after UEFA expanded the Champions League two seasons ago. FIFA Benefits From Allowing USA To Host 2029 Club World Cup As per the same report, another North American tournament would also be the most lucrative option for FIFA, which has been vindicated in its aggressive pricing strategy for this World Cup, with most matches selling out. The governing body trialled the controversial dynamic ticking pricing model at last year’s Club World Cup, which generated revenue of $411m (£307m) from ticket sales and hospitality despite fluctuating demand. It is unclear whether there has been any involvement in the discussions from the White House or Donald Trump’s World Cup taskforce, chaired by Andrew Giuliani, who on Wednesday hailed the success of this summer’s tournament. “Soccer is no longer a future American story,” Giuliani said. “It’s happening right now. There’s just so much demand to come to the United States to watch the World Cup.” FIFA has almost doubled its sales record by selling 6.5m tickets for this World Cup, and is expected to exceed its revenue target of $11bn (£8.2bn), so it would welcome the US hosting another tournament, not least given its ties with the White House, which has raised questions throughout.