A survey by world players' union Fifpro and national player unions has found that 75% of male players want the World Cup to remain played every four years.

Fifa is proposing to cut the gap between its tournaments to two years as part of a revamped calendar.

The survey covered more than 1,000 players across six continents of more than 70 nationalities.

It also found that most players rank the World Cup and their domestic league as their favourite competitions.

According to the survey, 77% of players in both Europe and Asia supported keeping the current schedule, dropping to 63% in the Americas and 49% among African players.

The remainder were split between playing the tournament every two or three years.

However, Fifpro did acknowledge in a statement that "a demand exists, particularly in smaller and medium-sized markets, to further develop and strengthen national team competitions".

Just over four in five players (81%) ranked either their domestic league or the World Cup, in its current four-year cycle, as their favourite competition.

The survey also found that only 21% of players believe their voice is respected and their wellbeing is adequately considered when it comes to international football governance.

Fifpro general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann said: "The player survey shows most footballers around the world have a clear preference to play the World Cup every four years.

"At the same time, the results demonstrate the importance of domestic league competitions to players. These leagues are the bedrock of our game and we have to do more to strengthen them both for the sake of players and the overall stability of professional football.

"This survey underlines the need for more collective bargaining frameworks in our industry, especially at the international level."

Fifa's plans for a revamped calendar to come into effect from 2024 have already met considerable opposition from other European bodies, with Uefa, the European Club Association and European Leagues coming out against them.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has said European nations could boycott biennial World Cups, while last week Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said his organisation did not think biennial World Cups in the men's or women's game were a good idea, and that he did not think the plans would come to fruition.

However, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said in December that he remains confident a consensus could be reached over plans for the revised calendar.