The FIFA World Cup is the world’s most prestigious international soccer tournament. The global phenomenon has both men’s and women’s competitions, each held every four years on staggered schedules. This year’s men’s competition began June 11 and runs until July 19, when the final will be held in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
To qualify, the 211 members of FIFA must be a top team within one of six continental confederations. The number of spots each confederation sends depends on its size, and qualifying can take 12 months or more.
Early World Cups had a minimal economic impact on host cities and were fairly low-cost. When Mexico spent millions in 1970 to build multiple stadiums and upgrade telecom and infrastructure, it marked a turning point in FIFA’s commercialization. The first global color broadcast in 1982 increased tourism for the host cities and became a selling point to future hosts. The final in 2022 reached 1.5 billion viewers worldwide.
… Read what else we learned about the World Cup here.
