FIFA to launch World Series for inter-confederation matches

Football’s ruling body FIFA will launch a “FIFA World Series” a friendly tournament between teams of different confederations in the coming years, said FIFA president Gianni Infantino while speaking to journalists in Doha on Friday.

While praising the quality of games in the current World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the new international match calendar will have a provision for this series.

The idea is part of a revision of the international windows which will also see the separate September and October windows merged into one extended window for up to four games from 2025 onwards and will take place in even years involving four teams, each selected from four different confederations.

The World Series matches, which would allow teams to gain experience, are to be played in the March window in even years — when there are no qualifiers for a World Cup or Euros which are also played in those years — between four teams from different confederations.

Like the March window, the June and November international breaks remain in place.

“The windows for the international match calendar as of 2025 would include one extended window with four matches in late September and early October to replace the current two separate windows in September and October, with the other windows (November, March and June) unchanged.

“This is in order to increase the possibilities for teams from different confederations to play each other. FIFA would launch a friendly tournament – FIFA World Series – which would take place in the March window in even years.” Infantino said.

Meanwhile, the hosts for the men’s World Cup in 2030 will be decided in 2024 and the Women’s World Cup for 2031 will be decided in 2025. The global governing body for football is also planning a Club World Cup for women and a new Futsal Women’s World Cup every four years.

“For women’s football, the current international match calendar structure will remain unchanged until 2025, with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and 2031 hosts to be decided in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

“The creation of a new FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, a new FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup and the expansion of the Olympic Games Women’s tournament from 12 to 16 teams have also been endorsed [at the FIFA Council],” he added.