The Business of the Fifa World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is arguably the biggest sporting event on earth. This book is the first to focus on the business and management of the World Cup, taking the reader from the initial stages of bidding and hosting decisions, through planning and organisation, to the eventual legacies of the competition.

The book introduces the global context in which the World Cup takes place, surveying the history and evolution of the tournament and the geopolitical background against which bidding and hosting decisions take place. It examines all the key issues and debates which surround the tournament, from governance and corruption to security and the media, and looks closely at the technical processes that create the event, from planning and finance to marketing and fan engagement. Analysis of the Women’s World Cup is also embedded in every chapter, and the book also considers the significance of World Cup tournaments at age-group level.

No sport business or management course is complete without some discussion of the FIFA World Cup, so this book is essential reading for any student, researcher or sport business professional looking to fully understand global sport business today.

Simon Chadwick is Global Professor of Sport at Emlyon Business School, France. Chadwick’s specific interests are in the geopolitical economy of football, which embraces matters of globalisation, digitalisation, environmentalism and lifestyle change. He has worked with some of world football’s key stakeholders including UEFA, several clubs and national associations, and sponsors such as Mastercard and Coca Cola.

Paul Widdop is Senior Lecturer in Sport Business at Leeds Beckett University, UK. His research explores social and economic networks on the consumption and production of Sport. He has published widely in areas of sport and popular culture including articles in Journal of Consumer Culture, Cultural Sociology, Cultural Trends, Political Behaviour, Electoral Studies, and Leisure Sciences.

Christos Anagnostopoulos is Deputy Dean of the School of Business and Management at the British University of Central Lancashire in Cyprus, and Associate Professor in sport management at the Faculty of Business Administration and Social Sciences at Molde University College, Norway. He is an editorial board member for nine international scientific journals related to sport management. He served on the EASM board of directors and is the Secretary General of the charitable foundation of Cyprus Basketball Federation. He also consults with Cyprus Sport Organisation on issues related to the governance of sport federations.

Daniel Parnell is Associate Professor at the University of Liverpool, UK. His research interests lie in business management, policy, and social and economic networks in sport. Dan serves as co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Managing Sport and Leisure. He is a co-editor of the Routledge Book series Critical Research in Football and co-edited the Routledge Handbook of Football Business and Management. He is Head of Football Research at Dundee United Football Club and CEO of the Association of Sporting Directors.