Infantino Pushes Flexible World Cup Dates, Takes Aim at Barca and Milan

Global World Cup Calendar in Question

FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants football to stay open-minded about when the World Cup finals can be staged, arguing that a flexible calendar is essential for a truly global game.

Traditionally the tournament is held in summer across the Northern Hemisphere, with the 2022 edition in Qatar played in December to avoid extreme heat. Infantino told the European Club Association's general assembly in Rome that there should be both summer and winter windows, and that in some cases the event could be moved to March or October to suit conditions.

He added that December excludes parts of the world and July excludes others, and that the calendar must be reviewed to benefit all stakeholders; discussions are ongoing and minds should stay open to improvements.

As of now, the international calendar is fixed through to 2030, when the men's World Cup will be staged by the United States, Canada and Mexico in June-July. For 2030, Morocco, Portugal and Spain will co-host, with matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to celebrate a centennial edition, and Saudi Arabia slated to host in 2034.

So far 19 teams have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup: six from Asia (Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea and Uzbekistan) and three from Africa (Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia). Six teams from South America—Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay—join New Zealand from Oceania and the host nations in the field, with no European teams yet qualified as the November deadline looms and the intercontinental playoff in March approaches.

Under the Club World Cup heading, Infantino reiterated a desire to grow the competition, which the United States hosted with 32 teams amid a heatwave in June when New York reached about 39C. The move drew criticism from players and their associations who argued about safety and schedule congestion.

Infantino said: When the Champions League was created, revenues were 40 million euros; now they are 4 billion euros. If the first Club World Cup can generate 2 billion euros, in 30 years we could reach 200 billion. He argued the event has generated revenue for clubs and that collaboration with clubs and stakeholders will make it bigger and more impactful; he highlighted 2.5 million spectators and an average attendance of around 40,000, a figure unmatched by any other league except the Premier League.

He warned that games abroad could threaten football's structure if left unchecked.

Meanwhile Milan will play in Perth, Australia in February in Serie A, while Villarreal and Barcelona are scheduled to play in Miami in December. UEFA reluctantly approved these overseas fixtures, though it lacks a strong legal framework to block them. Infantino emphasised the world hierarchy: national, continental and global calendars—this structure has made football the number one sport globally; attempting to break it could be risky.

He urged for a broader view: should everyone play everywhere, or should the system be designed to balance the interests of all parties? Europe’s top clubs led by Aleksander Ceferin warn that moving league games abroad could "wreck" football, stressing that the sport is about more than budgets; it is woven into communities, clubs and fans—the lifeblood of the game. Drift too far from those roots, and you risk destroying it.

Punchline time: open-minded calendars, or at least calendars that can take a joke—the league calendar is not a telenovela, but sometimes it seems to be a soap opera with extra time.

Punchline 2: If calendars were football players, this debate would go to extra time and still miss the offside date. And if Barca and Milan had the final say, the schedule would end up in a transfer window, because who needs boring consistency when you can have drama?