June 16th, 2014, YouGov
With a fantastic opening ceremony from the Arena in Sao Paulo, the most anticipated sporting event is officially underway! Unsurprisingly, the large majority of Lab respondents are interested in the World Cup and almost 1 in 10 are travelling to Brazil to watch some of the matches.
The majority of our Lab respondents are supporting Algeria followed by Brazil, Spain, Germany and Argentina.
Lab respondents explain below why they support their team of choice:
“It is an Arabic team.” Mahdi, Iran
“For the famous football player Messi of course.” Maziar, Iran
“They are representing Arabs in the World Cup.” Ayman, Tunisia
“It is an excellent team and has players at all levels.” Anon
“Spain as the team is a mixture of the two strongest players in the world, Real Madrid and Barcelona. I love this team and they are the bravest.” Samir, Saudi Arabia
“It is the only Arab country in the tournament.” Saddam, Saudi Arabia
“I support Nigeria because it's my country. I strongly believe that the Super Eagles have what it takes to win that cup and bring it home.” Len, UAE
“I love Brazilian football.” Kachal, Iran
According to our Lab respondents the most exciting players to watch out for this year are:
“Ozil, Messi, Aguero, Di Maria, Ronaldo, Iniesta.” Awab, Iraq
“Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Balotelli.” Maverick, KSA
“Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney.” Neeru, UAE
“Angel Di Maria, he is the best player.” Anon
“Messi, his ability to dribble is amazing and Pirlo for his passing skill.” Mahdi, Iran
“Cristiano Ronaldo for winning the world's best player 2013/2014; Franck Ribery for wining Europe’s best player for 2013/2014 and Abdelmoumen Djabou because many European teams wants to buy him.” Aziz, Tunisia
“Neymar because he is a talented player and it is expected that he will be remarkable this year.” Anon
“Lionel Messi for his unique skills.” Awad, Saudi Arabia
“Messi, Ronaldo and Suarez and many of the leading players.” Radwan, Morocco
“Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.” Majeed, Tunisia
“Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard because every one of them has a unique way of playing.” Adam, Morocco
“Suarez, Ronaldo, Messi and Ibrahimovic, Iniesta, Neymar and Moura.” Mustafa, Iraq
Lab respondents would like to see the 2018 World Cup hosted in the following countries:
“England because it is a good country.” Maverick, KSA
“UAE due to the growing infrastructure and the strength to host such a big event.” Neeru, UAE
“Russia because it was chosen by the International Federation of Football FIFA.” Hassoun, Morocco
“Japan because they will run it on technology!!!” Arash, Iran
“Qatar I think I thes best country for hosting the next World cup because Middle Eastern countries provide excellent facilities and different venues” Anon
“Nigeria! So I can have the opportunity to watch it live” Shika, Nigeria
“Lebanon, this country has been known to be a very touristic place in the Arab world but in the recent years due to the clashes and wars going on it has lost a lot of tourism which is the backbone of the economy in Lebanon. It would be very beneficial to refresh the economy of this dying country” Ali, Kuwait
“United Arab Emirates because it is organized, tidy and has the potential” Hamza, Jordan
"Turkey as it is a powerful country both economically and politically. The team has well developed skills” Anon
“Netherlands because of the mild climate and suitable stadiums” Anon
“Germany. It is a developed country with excellent infrastructure, security and a good climate. It is a good country” Mohammed, Algeria
“Russia because it is a rich country with a strong economy and has the facilities to set up a global football pitch” Islam, Palestine
Below Lab respondents have described some of the things they enjoy the most about the World Cup:
“The excitement of the game” Aiman Al-Farsi, Oman
“The game, the energy and a reason for friends to get together” Neeru, UAE
“Discussion between people” Arash, Iran
“Tactics and skills” Waqas, UAE
“I enjoy watching the best players in the world gather in the same competition” Feriel, Alegeria
“The ability to know more about different cultures and the customs and traditions of the host country” Anon
“Seeing the best of the best playing” Nivi, Nigeria
“The interaction of various segments of society alongside the event” Hadjer, Algeria
“Intense competition as well as some special coverage of the host country” Awad, Saudi Arabia
“Everything” Anon
“Tears and smiles" Kachal, Iran
“When the match enters a crucial situation” Anon
“The joy of winning” Islam, Palestine
“The passion and the drama” Len, UAE
“Cheering hard” Anon
Interestingly, 7 in 10 Lab respondents agree with football legend Pele who recently criticized his country’s organization of the World Cup claiming billions have been spent unwisely. He argued that some of the US 11 billion could have been spent investing in Brazil’s schools and hospitals. Furthermore, with thousands of people heading to Brazil to watch the games, 7 in 10 Lab respondents are concerned over the potential violence as fans have been warned over violent gangs and possible clashes.