Seems Infantino is now ditching the Global Nations League concept, in favour of a biennial WC. Personally I still like the idea of a combined AFC/OFC Nations League - sort of idea Infantino was pushing pre covid to give smaller countries regular games - as that could give AWs constant competitive
H&A fixtures in say the first 2 years of a WC cycle, before then moving to OFC World Cup qualifying. Most importantly having the AWs play a few times per year
at home, in meaningful games.
A 48 team biennial WC, would still not have AWs playing regular quality competitive games at home, if stay in the OFC Confed. It would be Lithuania or Ireland 'B' in Europe for friendlies, then New Caledonia & Fiji back in NZ. Then 2 World Cup pool games, at 3am NZ time. Remembering that a 48 team WC is mooted to be 16 pools of 3 teams each (so 2 games unless progress out of the pool).
But at least changes are being debated, and the various different options do look better than current situation for the AWs I guess. Though will miss the excitement of the 4 yearly Intercontinental Playoff home game. Only a combined OFC/East AFC Nations League setup with pro/rel, I reckon could come close to replicating that, if NZ stay in OFC and the WC expands to 48 teams. AWs needing to beat Sth Korea at the ROF, to stay in Division A, or make the final verus Socceroos or whatever.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/451160/all-whites-legend-world-cup-change-amazing-opportunity
Among that group of stars, which included the likes of Brazilians Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos and Englishmen John Terry and Michael Owen, was New Zealand's Ryan Nelsen.
The former All Whites captain led the team to the 2010 World Cup, the second of just two appearances the country had made at the event.
The latter just one reason Nelsen was backing the idea to alter the cycle of the world's biggest sports tournament, with continental championships held in the 'in-between' years.
"Some will say it devalues it. But does it?" the veteran of almost a decade in the English Premier League told RNZ.
"The Champions League, NBA, Super Bowl are all every year and it doesn't devalue them.
"It's the greatest sporting event on earth ... [but] 90 per cent of the world's countries don't get to go to the World Cup.
"In a way it's actually too prestigious."
Many European administrators and fans had made their opposition clear and the president of the confederation's governing body UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, had expressed "grave concerns".
But 166 of Fifa's 211 national associations weren't so dismissive, voting in May for the ongoing feasibility study to go ahead.
Nelsen said that was good news for the country he represented 49 times, which would benefit if the idea became reality.
"Imagine New Zealand potentially vying for a World Cup every two years … think what that does for the football community.
"What is also does is bring extra revenue that gets distributed around the world so all these countries can build better foundations and structure.
"New Zealand Football will be able to have better academies, the coaching will get better and it will bring everybody up.
Another key component to the proposal was eliminating many of the 'friendly' matches played between international teams.
"The meaningless friendly, where players have to fly all around the world … are fans really that interested?"
Nelsen urged football fans to look to the future as they considered the idea.
He said the World Cup had only been played every four years because organisers had copied the Olympic calendar, which was implemented when travelling across the world meant six months on a ship.
"The world is moving at quicker pace now. It's smaller.
"Just because it's happened for the last 50 years, doesn't mean it's right. We've got to be progressive enough to say 'OK, what is it going to look like in 20, 30, 40 or 50 years' time'.
"I love this type of thinking because it's looking to the future. It's not just saying we've done this before so it's fine, we'll keep doing it."
Excluding 1942 and 1946 because of World War II, the men's World Cup had been a four-yearly tournament since the inaugural event in 1930.