The FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe, while being watched by billions more. It’s the ultimate show ground for some of the best teams in the professional football scene to show off their skills while competing against one another for the ultimate prize.
Not only is the FIFA World Cup one of the biggest events around, but it’s also among the oldest of the modern sporting era, meaning that it has undergone many transformations over the years. Let’s look at some unforgettable facts about the FIFA World Cup.
Most Popular Event
The FIFA World Cup holds the record for being the most-watched sporting event in the world. In fact, it’s estimated that around 2 billion football fans in total watch the event as it’s taking place, and it’s become such a large affair that cities that host it will often spend billions upgrading the local infrastructure to accommodate the teams and hordes of fans that come to watch. While there are some other sporting events that attract a lot of people, the FIFA World Cup brings in more sporting lovers than any other sport.
Plenty of Alcohol
A big part of the football scene, at least among the fans, is the consumption of alcohol, and there are few other events where as much alcohol is consumed as the FIFA World Cup. For instance, when the event was held in South Africa in 2010, it’s estimated that around 3 million bottles of beer were consumed, which is around 750,000 litres in total. On top of that, almost 400,000 hot dogs were sold during the same event, making beer and hot dogs the particular favourites for the World Cup held in South Africa.
European Success
While the FIFA World Cup is open for participation from teams from any country, historically it has been European teams that have seen the most success in the event. European teams have won more than 60% of all the World Cup matches that have occurred, and of the last 21 events, 29 of them were won by European teams. This is partly due to the fact that pro-European clubs are some of the best around, and often have the resources to buy the top professional players in the scene, many of which are common in media, from television to the sites offering mobile betting in Australia.
Increased Birth Rates
While it has nothing to do with the games themselves, it’s a common phenomenon that birth rates tend to increase dramatically during the weeks that the World Cup takes place. One great example of this is the 2006 World Cup, which was hosted by the country of Germany. Nine months after the event had come to an, there was a surge of births throughout the country, to the point where it was estimated that the birth rate when up around 10%, which is many times the normal birth rate average.
