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Countries With the Most Passion for Football

Countries With the Most Passion for Football

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A Yale economist decided to crunch some numbers to determine which country would benefit the most from a World Cup championship. Economist Dean Karlan used the term “aggregate happiness” to describe his finding regarding the World Cup. Several factors to determine a country’s rankings included average level of poverty, population, and passion for soccer. Passion was calculated based on Google Trends — Karlan looked at how many searches for football there were per country compared to other popular sports. Percentages are based on football’s share of the Google Trend searches compared to searches for the other top three sports in a given country. Here are the World Cup countries with the most passion for football.

Source: Dean Karlan, NYTimes.com, ColombiaReports.co, Sites.Duke.edu, BBC.com, FTW.USAToday.com, PajonalTours.com, VanguardNGR.com, BrazilCultureandTravel.com, FIFA.com, English.Alarabiya.net

SeeColombia.Travel
SeeColombia.Travel

10. Colombia – 85.1%

Football in Colombia takes on a near-religious fervor, and it is truly the game of the nation. According to a YouGov and The Upshot survey, only 6 percent of respondents reported that they are not interested in football. Almost half said they were very interested. Since Colomibia formed its first organized football team, Barranquilla FBC, in 1909, the game has only grown in prestige and in the fandom it commands throughout the country.

TheHindu.com
TheHindu.com

9. Honduras – 86.0%

Until 1917, baseball was the most popular sport in Honduras, but football quickly eclipsed it. When football was first introduced in Honduras, it began as a game more for those in higher classes as but the sport became more accessible to all classes. Today, Honduran football fans are known for their passion, which occasionally leads to post-game conflicts with other nations, the Soccer War of 1969 being a prime example.

Flickr.com Francesca
Flickr.com
Francesca

8. Italy – 86.8%

To understand football fandom in Italy, here’s a quote from an Italian fanatic that says it all. “For Italy in the 1960s, opium was the religion of the masses…But today, it is football…We play the game Sunday. Then we talk about it Monday to Saturday. The biggest newspaper in Italy is only for sport…for football.”

Source: RickSteves.com

TheGuardian.com
TheGuardian.com

7. Uruguay – 87.0%

Uruguay, the home of the first-ever World Cup in 1930, has a long history of football fandom, and it has only grown. Even after their star player, Luis Suarez, was handed down a four-month ban from football after biting another player during a World Cup match, they rallied behind him in full force. Even the Twitter hashtag, #TodosSomosLuisSuarez (#WeAreAllLuisSuarez) has caught on in Uruguay.

FTW.USAToday.com
FTW.USAToday.com

6. Côte d’Ivoire – 87.5%

Because, honestly, just look at this guy.

LaPatilla.com
LaPatilla.com

4. Ecuador – 88.9%

Ecuadorian fans have been known for their dedication to their team, an impressive feat given that they didn’t qualify for their first World Cup until 2002. Despite their early exit from the 2014 tournament, Ecuador’s fans held their heads, emblazoned with their country’s flag, high.

BusinessWeek.com
BusinessWeek.com

4. Nigeria – 88.9%

As the winners of the 2013 African Cup of Nations, Nigeria’s national team and its fans had a lot to be proud of going into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The team lived up to expectations as it progressed to the round of 16, and its fans united in pride for the country’s talented team. As one fan said, “In Nigeria, when football is involved, all barriers crumble.”

Source: VanguardNGR.com

Commons.Wikimedia.org
Commons.Wikimedia.org

3. Brazil – 89.7%

The current hosts of the 2014 World Cup, Brazilian football fans are some of the most passionate in the world, as they embrace the sport with a religious fervor. In a culture that prides itself on passion and a love of the party, football in Brazil is a no brainer. The name of the ball design for this year’s World Cup, the Adidas “Brazuca,” comes from the informal term Brazilians use to describe national pride and their way of life, “…Mirroring their approach to football, it symbolizes emotion, pride, and goodwill to all.”

Source: FIFA.com

Commons.Wikimedia.org
Commons.Wikimedia.org

2. Ghana – 92.2%

Ghana’s Black Stars team has made a name for itself in recent years on the international stage, but Ghanians at home have supported the team for years. Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, saw football as a means to unify his country’s people and a way to transcend social and tribal associations. He quickly affiliated Ghana with FIFA in 1958, and pushed to have football represent an integral part of Ghanian culture from the outset.

Flickr.com Mouad b
Flickr.com
Mouad b

1. Algeria – 92.6%

Algeria gave its fans something to cheer about as it progressed to the round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup, becoming the sole Arab representative to make it past the group stages. Algerian football fans top this list, although their wild celebrations occasionally get too wild – two fans recently died during celebrations over Algeria’s latest victory. Tens of thousands often take to the streets to show their support for their team’s success.