Infantino's World Cup Plans Ignore Women's Soccer Impact

The debate over the future of the World Cup has reached fever pitch, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino championing a biennial men's tournament. Yet amid the talk of commercial growth and packed international calendars, a glaring omission has emerged: the impact on women's football. The plans appear to have been drawn up with the men's game as the sole reference point, leaving women's soccer on the outside looking in.

What happened

Infantino's proposal, which would see the men's World Cup move from a four-year cycle to every two years, has been met with fierce resistance from UEFA and CONMEBOL. The push for change has been framed as a way to give more countries the chance to compete. But the women's game, which already operates with fewer resources and more fragile structures, has been largely absent from these discussions. The title of the original report — 'Infantino's World Cup plans never considered impact on women's soccer' — sums up the concern.

FIFA's own internal documents and public presentation have focused overwhelmingly on the men's tournament. There has been no comprehensive assessment of how a condensed calendar would affect women's international teams, many of which are still building professional foundations. The absence of analysis suggests that women's football is an afterthought in the sport's biggest strategic shift.

Why it matters

The women's game is at its most promising juncture. The UEFA Women's Euro 2022 and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup demonstrated the appetite for the sport, with record attendances and broadcast figures. Any disruption to the international calendar risks undoing that progress. More frequent men's tournaments would inevitably dominate media coverage and sponsor attention, squeezing out the exposure that women's competitions desperately need.

Player welfare is another pressing issue. Women footballers already face packed schedules, lower pay, and less rest. A biennial World Cup would add more qualifying matches and tournaments, placing an even greater strain on athletes who do not have the same backup staff or recovery facilities as their male counterparts. FIFA's failure to consider these factors is not just an oversight — it's a systemic blind spot.

The bigger picture

The motivation behind Infantino's plan is clear: to increase revenue and strengthen FIFA's political hand. More World Cups mean more broadcast deals, more sponsorship, and more influence for the governing body. But the logic of the men's game does not automatically apply to women's football. The women's World Cup is still building its identity; forcing it into a biennial rhythm could dilute its quality and the sense of occasion.

Critics also point to the wider damage to international football. The new proposals would likely clash with continental championships and qualifiers, creating fixture congestion across both genders. Football associations in developing nations, where women's programmes are often underfunded, would find it even harder to compete. The plan, as presented, offers no clear roadmap for the women's game — only the risk of being overshadowed.

What it means

FIFA cannot afford to treat women's football as an afterthought. The governing body must pause the biennial World Cup push and commission a proper impact assessment that covers the women's game, plus the game in every country. If revolutionary changes are to happen, they should be built with the entire football community — including female players and administrators — at the table. If not, the women's game will pay a heavy price for a plan it never signed up to.