Business of the FIFA World Cup

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, 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 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 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 Adjunct Professor at the University of New Brunswick, Canada. He consults with organizations 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. Daniel Parnell is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Sporting Directors, UK. Dan has extensive experience developing, leading and delivering executive education and applied consultancy in elite professional football clubs, alongside providing mentorship and research supervision for executive level leaders in football.

• 1. Introduction 2. A Brief History of the FIFA World Cup as a Business 3. Bidding and Hosting Decisions 4. Competition Design of the World Cup 5. An Integrity System Framework for the Governance of the Football World Cups 6. Environment and Sustainability of FIFA World Cups 7. Rethinking Football Innovation: Why Women’s Football Can Lead the Next Era 8. Finance of the FIFA World Cup 9. Planning and Organising FIFA World Cups 10. Planning, Sourcing, and Managing Resources for FIFA World Cups 11. Mental Health, Decision-Making, and the World Cup Spotlight: Refereeing Under Pressure 12. Engaging Fans at FIFA World Cups 13. Managing Risk and Security 14. Marketing, Sponsorship, and Merchandising 15. Broadcasting and the FIFA World Cup: Satellite Technology, Privatisation, and Digitalisation 16. The Business of FIFA World Cup: Digital and Social Media 17. Sport and Statecraft as the Lasting Legacies of Qatar 2022 18. Legal Challenges for the 2026 and 2027 FIFA World Cups 19. The FIFA World Cup from an AFC Perspective 20. CAF's World Cup Ambition: Strategy and Participation in 2026 and 2027 21. The World Gets Concacaf’d 22. CONMEBOL and the Future of South American Football: Men’s and Women’s Development Ahead of the 2026–2027 World Cups 23. FIFA World Cups, Civic Engagement, and the Development of Football in Oceania 24. Power, Governance, and Welfare in the FIFA World Cup: Europe’s Central Role 25. The Challenges and Opportunities Posed by a Multi-Host Model: FIFA’s North American Push 26. Looking Ahead to the 2027 Women’s World Cup