This World Cup, bigger may not really be better

The average visitor is expected to spend about $5,400 in the United States, much more than the $720 to $2,500 spent by visitors to Qatar in 2022.

Transportation at this year’s tournament is fundamentally different from that of the tournament held in one city in Qatar, or in Russia in 2018, which provided free public transportation and 500 additional trains to help people get around.

This year, due to the vast distances, the only option for fans and teams is flights, which airlines have added to accommodate potential World Cup travelers.

“Teams and fans must now consider flights, not subway rides, and the carbon and cost impacts are real,” says Anagnostopoulos.

The need to book flights, rather than trains or taxis, may result in lower demand for hotels simply because travel costs are too high for some people. “U.S. hotels are already reporting lower-than-expected bookings,” Anagnostopoulos says. “Size does not guarantee crowds.”

protection

For organizers and host cities, the scale of the tournament requires massive investment in security, including combating threats that previous host nations could hardly have imagined.

The US federal government has issued $625 million in grants to host cities to address security issues. Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security has provided more than $200 million in grants to states to purchase counter-drone technology, with the US State Department highlighting the increased ability of hostile actors to access drones and other technology.

In Canada, federal authorities issued grants worth about $104 million to the host cities of Vancouver and Toronto. This brings the total public grants in Canada and the United States alone to nearly $1 billion – likely just a fraction of the true costs of securing the tournament.

The size of the tournament and the fact that it crosses borders has pushed up prices.

“Qatar 2022 has benefited from a very compact geography, with stadiums operating within a relatively uniform environment,” says Leo Levitt, president of Onvif, a membership body focused on standardizing physical security products. “The 2026 World Cup will include multiple cities, jurisdictions, agencies and technology ecosystems across the United States, Canada and Mexico.”

“The challenge is not just the number of systems involved, but whether these systems are able to exchange information efficiently,” he adds.

The future of the World Cup

The numbers tell the story of a heroism struggling with its own ambitions. It is not yet clear whether these investments will pay off in terms of tickets purchased and ad breaks sold. So why does FIFA seek growth at all costs?

According to Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economics at SKEMA International Business School, the reason may be increased competition from other sports.

“What [FIFA president Gianni] What Infantino is trying to do is ensure that soccer remains strong, relevant and prominent, and does not start losing market share to the NBA, which is present in China, India, Africa and the Gulf region; And to the NFL, which is making moves in Europe; “And to Formula One, which has grown dramatically in popularity, especially in North America,” says Chadwick.