One of the planet’s biggest sporting spectacles kicks off in earnest Thursday, when the 20th FIFA World Cup gets under way in Sao Paulo with a match between the host, Brazil, and Croatia.
Over the next 4 1/2 weeks, worldwide productivity will decline, workplace absenteeism will skyrocket and the victorious nation will, on average, outperform the world economy by 3.5 per cent in the first month following the tournament’s conclusion on July 13.
Here’s a by-the-numbers primer to get you up to speed on what is, next to the Summer Olympics, the world’s second-most-watched sporting event:
4 billion
Amount, in U.S. dollars, expected to be generated in revenue for world soccer’s governing body, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, by the 2014 World Cup – 66 per cent more than four years ago in South Africa.
2 billion
Profit, in U.S. dollars, that FIFA is expected to collect from the 2014 World Cup.
909 million
Worldwide viewers that tuned in for at least one minute of the 2010 World Cup final, where a single goal by Andres Iniesta was enough to claim a first title for Spain at the expense of the Netherlands.
3.3 million
Fans expected to attend the 64 matches comprising the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, up from 3.2 million in South Africa.
52
Per cent of Canadians who will follow at least some of the World Cup on television, online and through social media. Thirty-two per cent will follow it “very/somewhat closely” according to a recent survey by Toronto-based Solutions Research Group.
32
Teams in the tournament. As host, Brazil qualified automatically. The other 31 nations were whittled down from 203 by playing a total of 820 matches over the course of three years to determine the finalists. They have been divided into a round robin consisting of eight groups of four, from which the top two in each qualify for the last 16. From that point on, the format changes to a straight knockout, with extra time and the dreaded penalty shootout being used if teams cannot decide a winner over the course of 90 minutes.
20
The number of times that Brazil has been in the World Cup, the only nation to appear in every single tournament since the first one was held in Uruguay in 1930.
15
Career World Cup finals goals scored by former Brazilian striker Ronaldo, the all-time record.
14
Career World Cup goals scored so far by German striker Miroslav Klose, who needs just one more goal this time around to equal Ronaldo’s record.
13
Goals scored by France’s Just Fontaine in the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden, the record for a single tournament.
12
Stadiums being used in the World Cup – up two from four years ago in South Africa. They range in size from the 41,456-seat Arena da Baixada in Curitiba in the south of the country, to the 76,804 capacity of Rio de Janeiro’s Estadio do Maracana, down significantly from the 210,000 that crammed into the venue for the final of the 1950 World Cup (which was also the last time Brazil played host). A total of $3.5-billion (U.S.) has been spent building stadiums and refurbishing others, including a whopping $900-million on the new venue in Brasilia, making it the second most expensive soccer stadium in the world, behind only Wembley in London.
8
Different teams that have won previous World Cups (Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay, England, France and defending champion Spain). Saturday’s match between England and Italy is one of the most widely anticipated of the tournament, and with Uruguay also featuring in that group, at least one former champion is destined to fall by the wayside early on.
5
Record number of times Brazil has won the tournament, most recently in 2002 in Japan/South Korea. It is widely expected to add a sixth crown this year, with British-based bookmakers Ladbrokes and Paddy Power installing it as 3-to-1 favourite.
4
World Cups won by Italy, most recently in 2006, second only to Brazil.
3
World Cups won by Brazilian legend Pele, the only player to claim three titles. Lionel Messi of Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. of Brazil – widely thought of as the best players in this tournament – are all aiming to secure their first.
2
World Cups won by German legend Franz Beckenbauer, the only man to both captain and coach a World Cup-winning team.
1
The lone time Canada has qualified for the World Cup, back in 1986 in Mexico. It lost all three games it played, failing to score a single goal.