‘The economic activity boosted by the event is expected to contribute to tax revenue of between €312 million and €394 million, which represents 0.37% of tax revenue in 2023,’ according to the study on the economic and social impact of the World Cup2030, drawn up by that company for the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), to which Lusa had access.
This sum is the result of taxes derived from consumption, production and wages associated with the impact of the event, and these results represent a return of around €36 in tax revenue for every euro invested in sports infrastructure, the value of which is expected to be around nine ME.
‘[The figure] includes the investments directly attributable to the World Cup planned in stadiums and training centres, the expenditure of which is made in the national economy. In total, an investment of €10 million is estimated,” says the consultant.
The event will also positively impact Portugal’s balance of payments, generating a net surplus of more than €600 million thanks to the spending of international visitors and the investment related to the organisational activity.
As indicated by some of the conclusions of this study released by the consultancy on 11 December, the day FIFA officially made the Ibero-Moroccan bid official as the organiser of the event in six years’ time, the World Cup 2030 will attract between 300 and 500 thousand international visitors to Portugal, generating an estimated direct expenditure of between €500 million and €660 million in key sectors such as accommodation, catering, transport, and leisure.
‘This economic flow, added to the costs of organisation and investment in sports infrastructures, will contribute to a total expenditure in the local economy of more than €730 million’, estimates the entity, which adds that ‘this economic dynamism will result in a positive impact on the national GDP, with an estimated impact of between €700 million and €900 million, equivalent to 0.27-0.34% of the 2023 GDP’.
Regarding organisational costs, the company is counting ‘FIFA’s locally-activated organisational costs attributable to the event’ in the region of €140 million.
Regarding the labour market, it anticipates that ‘between 18,000 and 23,000 jobs in Portugal should be associated with the event, including those associated directly, indirectly and induced in the different sectors’, generating around €330 million in salaries.
‘The World Cup will foster labour diversity, with around 11,000 jobs for women [more than half of the jobs associated with the event] and between 1,200 and 1,500 for young people under 24,’ stresses the consultancy.
In addition to employment, the event will generate intangible benefits for citizens’ quality of life since, according to the analyses carried out, the perceived well-being, measured by the Portuguese willingness to pay, has an estimated value of between €81 million and €88 million.
‘For every euro invested in sports infrastructure, a return of around €8.50 in well-being will be generated, reflecting the event’s transformative impact on social cohesion, national pride and the perception of Portugal as a united and hospitable country’, the company emphasises.
By hosting the 2030 World Cup, Portugal will raise its ‘global reputation’ and will have new ‘opportunities for trade and international relations’, says the consultancy, which expects, for example, an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) of between €104 million and €313 million.
It concluded that ‘The long-term benefits are multiple and diverse, contributing to the country’s integral development and leaving a lasting legacy beyond the immediate socio-economic impact.
The Estádio da Luz and the Estádio José Alvalade, both in Lisbon, and the Estádio do Dragão, in Porto, are the Portuguese stadiums that will host World Cup2030 matches.
