The world cup is largely considered one of the most prestigious sports competitions in the world. The competition is usually held every four years by the Football International Federation (FIFA). Currently, the world cup being held in Qatar is the 22nd edition of the World Cup and the second of its kind in Asia after the 2002 world cup which was jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan.
Though a total of 22 world cups have been held since the first World cup which was held in Uruguay, 1930. But which of the world cups have cost FIFA more money to organize? We’ll be taking you through the 7 most expensive world cups, Let’s go.
7. France
The 1998 World Cup was hosted by France and it was only just the 16th edition of the World Cup. A budget of 2.4 billion pounds was spent by the hosting country. Hosting the FIFA world cup has always been a thing of pride for nations as many of them are even willing to spend more than their budget just to host the competition.
France was taking the mantle from the USA who had previously held the 1994 FIFA world cup. The world cup was held in 10 of France’s megacities and the hosting nation had a 43,511 average attendance per game.
France ended up emerging the winner of the competition.
6. South Africa
The 2010 world cup was hosted by South Africa and it was the 19th edition of the FIFA world cup. The hosting country spent a total budget of 3.7 billion pounds on developing facilities. This world cup edition was the first time an African nation would host the world cup, and it was also one of the most iconic world cups. The world cup was also an eye-opener to the African culture, from the food to the music and every other exciting aspect of the continent’s culture.
The world cup was held across nine cities, with the final being played in the country’s capital Johannesburg.
5. Germany
Yet another European country, Germany, hosted the 2006 world cup, and it was the 18th out of 22 editions of the FIFA world cup. A budget of 4 billion pounds was spent by the hosting country to develop to host the World cup. Although, they didn’t clinch the title but still emerged as the second runner-up.
Germany, at the time, was already one of the European giants with iconic stadiums, so they were a good fit to host the world cup.
The tournament had an average attendance of 52,491 per game.
4. Korean and Japan.
The 2002 World Cup was jointly hosted by Korea and Japan and was the 17th edition of the world cup. This current world cup edition was the first of its kind in the Asian continent. The hosting countries spent a budget of 7.3 billion pounds on developing venues for the competition. South Korea, against all odds, emerged as the second runner-up in the competition.
The hosting nations also received a reception of 2,705,198 for the competition.
3. Russia
The 2018 world cup was hosted by European giants Russia and was the 21st edition of the world cup. The hosting nation spent a budget of 12 billion pounds to build high-tech facilities for the competition. The world cup was also one of the most peaceful world cups despite the high number of terrorist threats.
The hosting nation couldn’t make it past the quarter-final, with the French national team, France, clinching the title.
2. Brazil
Football giant Brazil hosted the 2014 world cup and the 20th edition of the FIFA world cup. The hosting nation spent a total of 15.6 billion pounds to renovate the nation’s facilities for the competition.
Brazil has always been a home for good football and has produced some of the greatest legends of the round leather game, considering the likes of; Pele, Ronaldo, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Cafu, Carlos, Alves, Romario, and many others.
This world cup edition saw the introduction of goal-line technology and anti-doping tests for players. Brazil has the most world cup wins in history, winning the title five times.
1. Qatar
The 2022 world cup, the most recent edition of the world cup, is being hosted by an Asian country, Qatar. The 22nd edition of the world cup is only the second time an Asian country will host the world cup. The world cup held in Qatar is a high-profile one as the hosting nations reportedly spent a record 229 billion pounds to develop facilities for the world cup. Also, this makes the world cup in Qatar the most expensive world cup in History.
Despite recent claims about bribery and violation of human rights, FIFA refused to take away the hosting rights from Qatar. The world cup is expected to kick off on the 20th of November and end on the 18th of December.
The world cup is always exciting to watch, with highly improved tech facilities, and now you know why. Much money is being spent to make a successful world cup. World cup kicks off pretty soon; how excited are you? Let us know in the comment box.
