Maybe I'm not making my argument clear. The World Cup is a tourism play for the host country. Think about the money that Germany is making on hotel rooms.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but money from merchandising and TV rights do not accrue directly to the host country. A host country would wish to have as many people come to the World Cup as possible and stay as long as possible. It's clear to me that host countries are leaving lots of money on the table in this regard because they aren't taking advantage of the scale that the World Cup offers to them. If giving away tickets would increase attendance, then host countries should give them away. If the countries need bigger stadiums, then they should build them. If it would help for several countries to joint-host, then they should do that.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but money from merchandising and TV rights do not accrue directly to the host country. A host country would wish to have as many people come to the World Cup as possible and stay as long as possible. It's clear to me that host countries are leaving lots of money on the table in this regard because they aren't taking advantage of the scale that the World Cup offers to them. If giving away tickets would increase attendance, then host countries should give them away. If the countries need bigger stadiums, then they should build them. If it would help for several countries to joint-host, then they should do that.
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