We went to the FIFA World Cup, and we couldn't switch off the sport business lens while we were there, so we sat down to talk through everything we noticed.
In this episode, Nathan Perrone and Reuben Williams share their experience at the FIFA World Cup and what they noticed through the lens of sports business.
They pick apart everything from the ticketing tech, to the workforce, the signage sponsors pay millions for, the commercial engine behind the World Cup, fan festivals, activations, which brands performed, and just how much revenue a tournament like this actually generates.
They also run through a host city report and compare how the whole experience stacks up against the Paris Olympics and previous World Cups in Russia and Qatar.
And yes, we also get into Reuben's \"fairly sizeable hiccup\" in Vancouver and how he almost didn’t make it to the USA.
You don't want to miss this, it's a fun one!
We cover:
(02:50) - Discussion Begins
(05:15) - Quick Fire Question
(20:27) - Reuben's mishap in Vancouver
(29:37) - What we noticed at the World Cup that most fans don't
(44:38) - What Nathan observed from a commercial lens
(55:01) - Ranking our favourite host cities at the World Cup
(01:04:43) - How the 2026 FIFA World Cup ranks against other tournaments
(01:15:34) - Sport Biz professionals we got to connect with at the World Cup
(01:19:16) - Meeting SportsGrad member Jake Cohen in Kansas
(01:24:48) - How to land a role at an upcoming major tournament
(01:28:12) - Our takeaways from making connections on the ground at major tournaments
If you liked this ep, give these a go next:
#356: Career journey of FIFA World Cup Commentator David Basheer
#357: From International Student to Major League Soccer with Adam Ferreira (Vancouver Whitecaps)
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Follow Reuben on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok
Thanks for listening, much love!
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