Big change? The Times: Infantino suggests adjusting the international calendar and holding the Winter World Cup regularly

Sports     7:53pm, 9 October 2025

According to the "Times" report, FIFA President Infantino proposed adjusting the international calendar so that after the 2034 Saudi World Cup, the World Cup will be held regularly in the winter.

The 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, where the summer temperatures are hot, with the daily maximum temperature reaching 39 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature only 25 degrees Celsius. It is almost impossible to hold it in the usual months of June and July. Therefore, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been rescheduled to winter, which means that most European club competitions have to start early and end later.

At the annual meeting of European football clubs in Rome, Infantino said that discussions on adjusting the calendar have begun. He proposed the idea of ​​holding more club events in June in the future.

Infantino said:

"We have gone into details and have been discussing. This is not just about a World Cup, but a whole reflection - even in some European countries, it is very, very hot to play football in July, so we need to think about it. In fact, the best time to play football is June. , but this period in Europe is not used much. Maybe we can optimize the calendar, but we are currently discussing it and we need to keep an open mind.

"In fact, if you want to have games in the same time period, March or October is the most suitable. Because competitions cannot be held in certain areas of the world in December, and not in July either.

"We need to consider all of these factors when discussing national team games, player releases, club events and see how we can improve it to benefit everyone. So there is a lot at stake here."