A biennial World Cup would generate in excess of £3.3bn in additional revenue over a four-year cycle, delegates at FIFA’s global summit have been told.
The world football ruling body has proposed the change as part of a revamped calendar.
All members of the associations were invited to the summit as the debate over Arsene Wenger’s plan to double the frequency of the World Cup intensifies.
UEFA, Europe’s major leagues and South American football’s governing body, Conmebol have opposed the plans.
CAF, the African governing body, has given its backing.
Delegates were told the overall financial impact on gate receipts, media rights and sponsorship revenues from a World Cup every two years would result in a predicted increase from £5.3bn for the 48-team tournament due to be held across three countries in 2026 to £8.6bn across a four-year cycle with two World Cups.
Research carried out by Nielsen Sports, a leading German-based sports measurement and analytics organisation, also says there would be no impact on revenue generated by domestic leagues or major international club competitions such as the Champions League, which they say have been growing regardless of interest in national team competitions.
The meeting was told that FIFA estimated, on average, national associations would each be allocated around £12.1m in additional funds, although the precise method of distribution was not clarified.
Wenger is determined to reduce the gap in funding between the richest and poorest countries and, in turn, increase the chances of players from the poorest nations being developed to the full extent of their talent.