Business of the FIFA World Cup

Now in a fully revised and updated new edition, this book offers expert insight into the business and management of the FIFA World Cup, arguably the biggest sporting event in the world.

The book takes the reader from the initial stages of bidding and hosting decisions, through the planning, organisation, and delivery phases, to assessment of the longer-term legacies of the competition. It 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 are made. 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 embedded in every chapter, and the book also considers the significance of World Cup tournaments at the age-group level. This edition also includes new chapters on technology, officials, and the forthcoming tournaments in Canada, Mexico, and the United States in 2026 and Brazil in 2027.

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 deepen their understanding of the global sport industry.

Simon Chadwick is a researcher, writer, academic, consultant, advisor, and speaker whose work focuses on leading and managing in complex environments. His areas of expertise are in policy and strategy and international and global markets, as well as business and marketing. Chadwick has three decades of experience working in the global sport, event, and cultural industries, particularly in an Afro-Eurasian setting. He is a professor of AfroEurasian sport and advises several clients from across the world of sport.

Paul Widdop is a reader in sport management at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. His research examines how social and economic networks shape the organisation, consumption, and cultural meaning of sport. He works at the intersection of sociology, economics, and geography, with a particular focus on social network analysis and the structural mechanisms that underpin inequality, participation, and value in sport.

Christos Anagnostopoulos is the founder, director, and chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Governance and Social Responsibility in Sport and a core member of UNESCO’s Fit for Life Knowledge and Innovation Network. He is a faculty member at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar, and visiting professor II at Molde University College, Norway, and an adjunct professor at the University of New Brunswick, Canada. He consults with organisations, including Generation Amazing Foundation, Cyprus Sport Organization, Sport Integrity Global Alliance, and Qatar Olympic Committee, and is an elected executive board member of the World Association for Sport Management.