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With 1.1 billion people having tuned in to the 2018 World Cup final, FIFA will be hoping that the 2022 competition in Qatar can match those figures. With coronavirus having raged around the world, with more people watching football from their homes as opposed to public places such as bars, you can be sure that the ongoing trend that makes football the most popular sport in the world will long continue.
With much of Asia’s countries having a bustling local economy, in places such as Thailand and Malaysia, you can be sure that football is becoming even more popular in South East Asia as well as China. The Chinese have not had a successful football team in their history, but the government of China is investing heavily in the local divisions as well as in youth programs to help bring through young professional talent.
However, what makes football so popular, beyond growth in individual companies? The answer for many would point to some of the global stars of the game. With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both vying for the coveted title of, “the world’s best”, fans are gripped to their television sets to view the games of Paris St Germain and Manchester United respectively. World class young talents look forward to taking over the berth of the globe’s best player, but for now the veteran duo of Messi and Ronaldo continue to hold that coveted position.
Not only that, but you still have the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic turning in top performances week, after week, whilst young talents such as Kylian Mbappe and Jadon Sancho continue to impress for their own teams.
Ahead of next year’s tournament, clubs are busy trying to maximize the value received from their players, knowing full well that at the beginning of the year is also the AFCON tournament, which will disrupt many top clubs such as a certain Anfield side (who have Mo Salah set to be called up). The World Cup will also be played outside of the typical June window to accommodate the souring temperatures from Qatar during the summer months.
In order for football to continue to be the great spectacle of the world, the sport continues to be on the right track. For many, soccer provides much needed respite during these difficult times, and with today’s announcement that the Premier League plans to keep on their Christmas winter schedule, fans will be delighted to have viewership access to the sport. Also, Fantasy Football fans will be over the moon that a full schedule is expected to take place over the winter holiday period.
When it comes to having a punt, there are hundreds of football betting companies and ahead of the World Cup next year, it is expected that even more volumes of money will be waged on games in the Middle East. Football fever continues to grip the world, despite the ferocious pandemic.
Written by Ketan Patel
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