On Dec. 18, the final two teams – Argentina and France – faced off for the coveted trophy, and after crucial penalty shots, the 2022 FIFA World Cup officially reached its end. In this unique World Cup, countless memories were born. Some will last a lifetime, and other memories will soon be forgotten.
We saw Argentina go on an incredible run after losing their first group match to Saudi Arabia, and then almost blow a 2-0 lead in the last minutes of the World Cup final. After Argentina and France battled for 120 minutes, we saw Lionel Messi and Argentina finally raise the World Cup Trophy, sealing his position as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Indeed, the World Cup Trophy is the most prestigious trophy that any player could ever want, which motivates teams to give their all on the field. Nobody wants to miss out on such an important event and the chance to represent their country. The fans also enjoy this tournament as it produces some of the most competitive games.
However, the joy of some is often based on the pain of others. People remember the success that Messi enjoyed this year, but they don’t remember the tears of Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappé. Many have petitioned to have the World Cup intervals shortened from four to two years, and I agree with this idea.
First of all, FIFA makes a lot of money from various industries. Due to the attention, the event attracts from all parts of the world, the commercial value of the games is huge. It is estimated that FIFA itself earned more than $7.5 billion through commercials, marketing rights, and tickets. That $7.5 billion will be its operating budget for the next four years.
Not only is FIFA making money from this event, but the trickle-down effect is also prominent for the country it is held in, like Qatar in 2022. With around 1.33 million people coming to Qatar, the tourism industry benefited greatly from the event since the tourists all needed hotels, places to eat, and transportation. All of these earnings gained from the event being set in Qatar benefited the country through taxes and positive public attention. Not only did the government and FIFA benefit from the event, but the teams also did. The winning team took home $42 million, and even the teams who lost in the group stages got to take home $9 million each. Since so much money is involved in the World Cup for all parties, it makes sense to hold the World Cup every two years based purely on monetary reasons.
The World Cup should be played every two years, not only because of the money earned but also because it can increase the popularity of soccer. While soccer is already the most popular sport in many areas of the world like Europe or South America, many other parts of the world are not so interested in soccer. In countries like the United States, soccer is not as popular. The TV ratings support that assumption. While the Major League Soccer (MLS) grand final TV viewing was only around two million, the Super Bowl had a TV viewing of 99.18 million in 2022. The difference is distinct. However, since the US national team went to the World Cup this year, the TV viewing of the tournament was around 26 million, which shows an increased interest in soccer in the US.
Some may argue that the World Cup is held every two years is unfair to soccer clubs around the world who train and pay these athletes. The clubs also suffer the risk of injury for their players, and players are more prone to fatigue with an increased number of games. However, the World Cup is very beneficial to players since it helps promote and showcase their value. On the biggest stage in the world, players who perform well will get noticed by bigger clubs and become stars overnight. These events are beneficial to the clubs since they can gain a lot of profits from these breakout stars.
Because of the huge profits linked with the World Cup, the increased popularity of soccer, and the benefits for the clubs, FIFA should consider changing the intervals between World Cups from four years to two years.
