What Happens When You Throw The World’s Biggest Party: The Political Impact of Hosting FIFA’s World Cup

This research effort is a comparative study on the political impact on host countries holding the World Cup. Specifically, are the impacts different for a developed country compared to a developing country? The two countries that I will use as case studies are Germany (host of the 2006 World Cup) and South Africa (host of 2010 World Cup). Such cases offer excellent insight into the immense amount of political power associated with the World Cup -- especially the preceding year of the tournament due to the host country being under a proverbial microscope. A survey of FIFA officials will form the basis of the evidence for this project