Every four years, billions of football fans spend a month arguing about offside decisions, whether Ronaldo or Messi is a grass-grazing horned mammal, and whether football is finally “coming home”.
For nations, however, the Fifa World Cup is far more than football. Beyond the national pride that comes with simply qualifying, the tournament offers an unparalleled opportunity to capture the world’s attention.
Cabo Verde’s fairy-tale run to the round of 32 transformed the little-known island nation into a global household name – an exposure economists forecast could generate billions of US dollars in long-term tourism revenue.
It is hardly surprising, then, that the race to host the Fifa World Cup is among the most fiercely contested bidding processes in international sport.
The rewards are dazzling: the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia cost over US$14 billion, while the 2022 tournament attracted more than 1 million international visitors to Qatar.
Beyond tourism and jobs, hosting offers global prestige irresistible to governments – for one glorious month, the world’s cameras focus not on inflation, elections or traffic jams, but on gleaming stadiums, vibrant cities and jubilant fans.