The Guardian
Football is the world’s most-watched and most-played sport. Annual competitions like the UEFA Champions League attract hundreds of millions of viewers, however, that still isn’t the biggest football competition. That title belongs to the FIFA World Cup and bookmarkers are part of it, taking a spike in the weeks leading up to the World Cup and keep rising until the final game. We already see most companies in the industry like oddschecker running even more free bet offers during this competition that takes place every four years to decide which country is the best at playing the beautiful game.
Something that makes this tournament unique is the four years of waiting in between, but that’s something that could change. The format and frequency of the FIFA World Cup have remained fairly consistent since it began, although it has been expanded several times to allow for more teams to take part in the finals.
The four-year cycle has been in place since the first-ever World Cup, with the exception of a gap in the 1940s, and it mirrors the schedule used by the summer and winter Olympic Games.
That could all be about to change though if a plan put forward by FIFA is approved.
The History of the World Cup
The first World Cup took place in 1930, though international tournaments had been held at the Olympic Games since the start of the 20th century. It took place in Uruguay, but since this was in a time before routine intercontinental air travel, it was a logistical nightmare for European nations, with only four agreeing to take part
The hosts won the first-ever World Cup title after beating Yugoslavia 6-1 in the semi-final and Argentina 4-2 in the final.
In 2002, the first radical change to the format was made when hosting duties were shared between South Korea and Japan, instead of them being assigned to a single country. The first World Cup held on the African continent took place in 2010, while this year’s competition in Qatar will be the first one that takes place in November and December, instead of the summer.
The 2026 World Cup is already scheduled to be radically different since it will take place in three countries for the first time, with Mexico, Canada, and the United States sharing the duties. It will also be the first time that 48 teams will take part in the finals rather than the 32 seen since 1998.
However, in 2030 and beyond, things could change even further if FIFA’s new proposals are approved…
