“No way!” – Jamie Carragher quickly turned down FIFA’s World Cup request
Jamie Carragher recently shared that he quickly turned down a request from FIFA after being involved in a World Cup discussion. FIFA has been in the news for the wrong reasons lately, especially after Gianni Infantino’s plan for the World Cup didn’t go as expected. Many countries have pulled their support for Infantino ahead of the 2027 re-election, after FIFA announced plans to sell shares in its commercial and event operations, including the World Cup.
Carragher, who played 737 games for Liverpool and 38 times for England, talked about his experience with FIFA. On the Football Ramble podcast, the Sky Sports pundit said he had a chat with former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who now works as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development. This led to a Zoom call with former players from all over the world, discussing the idea of holding the World Cup every two years.
Though Carragher took part in the conversation, he didn’t say if he supported the idea—because in his mind, he was against it. The 48-year-old was surprised when the organizer of the call asked him to publicly back the plan. He refused right away.
Carragher explained, “I had a chat with Arsene Wenger about the World Cup being every two years. He invited me to another call with other former players to talk about future ideas. I thought, ‘Great!’
“We joined this Zoom call with players like Javier Mascherano and others from around the world. They were talking about the pros of a World Cup every two years. I was listening, asking questions, but I didn’t like the idea.
“After the call, I hadn’t said whether I liked it or not. Then, the guy organizing the call messaged me asking if I could publicly support the plan. I said, ‘No way.’
“Just because I was on the Zoom, it doesn’t mean I agree. I think it’s rubbish. It felt like, ‘Now you’re in with us, and you’re one of us.’ But a lot of these ex-players don’t really care. So, I decided I’m not part of that.”
The plan hasn’t moved forward, and the World Cup is still held every four years. But changes have been made: the 2026 World Cup will have 48 teams and an extra knockout round for the first time ever. There are strong rumors that FIFA wants to expand the tournament even more, to 64 teams, by the 2030 event, which marks the World Cup’s 100th anniversary.
The Guardian reports that research on this possible expansion will be shared in September after a month of talks. Both UEFA and CONCACAF are against the idea, while CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez supports it.
The 2030 World Cup will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, with games also in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay to celebrate the centenary.