The game has changed – a systematic approach to classify FIFA World Cups

At a cost of more than 15 billion USD, the FIFA World Cup is not only the biggest single-sport mega-event, but also the costliest. Investments of this magnitude exceed the GDPs of competing nations and are expected to produce tangible and intangible effects on economy, society, and politics. Through conducting literature analysis and own fieldwork to extend the existing literature, this article deals with the classification of FIFA World Cups in the realm of mega-events. It investigates based on four dimensions (visitor attractiveness, mediated reach, costs, and urban transformation) the post-war World Cups (1950–2018). A considerable fifth dimension to account for the aftermath of these events is introduced. By dissecting the different categories, the aim of the study is to answer the questions: ‘What is the value of the FIFA World Cup?’ and ‘What is its price?’ The study discovers that there are two important milestones in the history of the FIFA World Cup. The first is Italy 1990, when the tournament can initially be considered a ‘mega-event’ and the second is South Africa 2010, when it qualifies to be a ‘giga-event’. Besides the steady increase of popularity, the input factors, costs, and urban transformation, drive the current trend of gigantism. Applying the classification system on the 2014 and 2018 editions, lead to the maximum score, which opens the door for discussions about overspending on World Cup projects and the sustainability of the tournament.