ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the historic development of the FIFA World Cup as a business entity while recognising the broader cultural, political, economic and social context to the event. It highlights key events, patterns and trends in the business and management of the World Cup. Increasing scholarly attempts have been made to understand the evolution of the FIFA World Cup and similar sporting mega-events of scale such as the summer and winter Olympic Games, yet, because of its episodic quadrennial nature a satisfying discussion of its essential character as a business remains elusive. The size and scale of the FIFA World Cup as a tournament and commercial venture increased rapidly after changes in the leadership of FIFA. Since the late 1970s, FIFA has extended its range of tournaments to include age categories, indoor and beach editions, as well as a deliberate strategy to grow women's football with its own World Cup, Olympic football event, and age-categories.
