EPISODE · May 29, 2026 · 30 MIN
Why is the World Cup so expensive?
from Office Hours · host King's Business School
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being billed as the biggest tournament in football history. But with some England fans facing costs of up to £5,000 to follow the group stage, who is the tournament really designed for?In this episode of Office Hours, Professor Sally Everett, Professor of Business Education at King's Business School and author of Decolonising Tourism Education, explores the business, tourism and economic systems behind modern mega-events.From soaring ticket prices and expensive accommodation to controversial transport charges, Sally argues that the World Cup reveals deeper questions about how global sporting events are designed, who benefits from them, and who gets left behind.The conversation explores:⚽ Why mega-events increasingly target "high-value visitors" rather than ordinary fans⚽ Whether host cities genuinely benefit from tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games⚽ Why success in sport tourism is often measured through revenue, growth and prestige⚽ How tourism education can reinforce existing systems and assumptions⚽ The winners and losers of global sporting events⚽ What future World Cups could look like if accessibility, wellbeing and community impact mattered as much as economic growthDrawing on examples from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and London, and wider research into tourism systems, Sally explains why the debate around football is really a debate about economics, access and power.If the World Cup is the world's game, who gets to experience it?🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.📺 Subscribe for more conversations exploring business, leadership, economics and the future of work through the lens of world-leading research.
What this episode covers
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being billed as the biggest tournament in football history. But with some England fans facing costs of up to £5,000 to follow the group stage, who is the tournament really designed for?In this episode of Office Hours, Professor Sally Everett, Professor of Business Education at King's Business School and author of Decolonising Tourism Education, explores the business, tourism and economic systems behind modern mega-events.From soaring ticket prices and expensive accommodation to controversial transport charges, Sally argues that the World Cup reveals deeper questions about how global sporting events are designed, who benefits from them, and who gets left behind.The conversation explores:⚽ Why mega-events increasingly target "high-value visitors" rather than ordinary fans⚽ Whether host cities genuinely benefit from tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games⚽ Why success in sport tourism is often measured through revenue, growth and prestige⚽ How tourism education can reinforce existing systems and assumptions⚽ The winners and losers of global sporting events⚽ What future World Cups could look like if accessibility, wellbeing and community impact mattered as much as economic growthDrawing on examples from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and London, and wider research into tourism systems, Sally explains why the debate around football is really a debate about economics, access and power.If the World Cup is the world's game, who gets to experience it?🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.📺 Subscribe for more conversations exploring business, leadership, economics and the future of work through the lens of world-leading research.
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Why is the World Cup so expensive?
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