Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has revealed that he held private meetings with FIFA officials and former players to discuss the proposal of holding the FIFA World Cup every two years.

Carragher rejected FIFA's request for him to publicly support the biennial FIFA World Cup. Carragher revealed that he had discussed the proposal with former Arsenal manager and current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger, as well as several other former players.

This summer's FIFA World Cup was held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with European champions Spain lifting the trophy for the first time in 16 years. De la Fuente's team defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal.

The next FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be held in 2030, with Morocco, Portugal, and reigning champions Spain co-hosting. However, Carragher revealed that discussions have taken place about changing the tournament to a shorter cycle.

Carragher stated on the "Football Ramble" podcast that he was involved in the discussions but did not pursue the matter further. He said that he later received a message asking him to publicly support the plan, which he immediately refused.

Carragher said: "I had a chat with Arsène Wenger. He was working with FIFA at the time, and the topic was all about the FIFA World Cup every two years. He said, 'I want you to join another conference call with other former players to discuss future ideas.' I thought, 'Great, that's good.'

"We joined this Zoom call, and it wasn't just English players. There were players like [Javier] Mascherano and former players from all over the world. Everyone was basically talking about the benefits of a biennial FIFA World Cup. I was listening and asking questions. I didn't like the idea.

"After the Zoom call, I didn't say I didn't like it or that it shouldn't happen. I just talked to these former players. Then the person who organized the Zoom sent me a text message saying, 'Okay, can you post this?' – meaning to support it. I said, 'No, no, no.'"

"Just because I was on that Zoom... I don't agree with it, and I don't want to support it. I think it's ridiculous. It felt like, 'Since you're here with us, and you're on this Zoom, and we're all former players, we're a team.'"

"That's what I saw from Wenger and Infantino above him – they brought so many former players in, as if to say, 'This makes us look okay.' Half of these former players don't even care. Knowing this, I thought, 'I completely disagree with this.'"

These proposals have not made significant progress so far, although the FIFA World Cup format was adjusted for the first time this summer, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup expanding to 48 teams and adding another knockout round.

Further reports indicate that FIFA is also considering going further, with the 2030 FIFA World Cup possibly expanding to 64 teams. That tournament will also mark the 100th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup.

UEFA and CONCACAF both oppose the idea, but CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez remains a firm supporter. The 2030 FIFA World Cup will also feature matches in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay to commemorate the centenary.

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