What Really Goes On Behind the Scenes of the World Cup?
The Bigger Picture
It sometimes easy to forget that, as with any major sport's event, the World Cup is more than just players versus players. It requires an impressive collaboration of global sponsors, sports federations, governments, media and fans from all over the world, and that’s just in addition to the thousands involved in setting it up.
FIFA at the Helm
At the front of this organization is FIFA, an international governing body in charge of the event. In the build up, FIFA not only manage the logistics and the rules of the match, but they also help deliver the marketing machine around the world, along with running the final draw and other major announcements. FIFA are responsible for organizing the teams into groups, choosing the qualified teams, providing the football shirts, contracting hotels and managing the refereeing team.
Venue Selection
Venue selection is a huge factor in holding the World Cup and FIFA are highly involved with selecting a stadium that can hold the hype of thousands of international soccer fans. Host city selection is also a very complex process, as teams need to be geographically separated, and ideally they are hosted in different countries, so FIFA needs to ensure their chosen host cities are safe and can accommodate the influx of thousands of fans descending from all around the world.
The Fans
To kick off the World Cup, there is always an opening ceremony which FIFA is involved in creating. An enormous task, which involves ensuring all cultures and countries are treated with respect and enabling an international audience of viewers to have an interest in the spectacle they are seeing. FIFA also has to ensure that the fans obligations are met – whether it’s getting the tickets to the matches, or providing secure travel to and from the venues.
Final Satisfaction
Once the fans, players and management teams are all in place, the main event needs to run like clockwork. FIFA need to ensure that a huge event such as the World Cup can be run smoothly and without incident, and part of this involves running a number of tests throughout before, during and after the World Cup. FIFA also determine how the trophy will be awarded at the end of the year. Finally, to wrap it all up, a closing ceremony needs to be conducted, which FIFA will organise and oversee.
Takeaways
We can often take for granted the sheer amount of behind the scenes elements that go into the creating the global spectacle of the World Cup, but it is a huge responsibility and requirement for FIFA to ensure that the World Cup clouds operate on all cylinders. Knowing the different elements and levels of responsibility that FIFA have in getting the World Cup on the track from beginning to end, makes it all the exciting experience that it is for fans from all over the world.