The 2018 World Cup required the involvement of a significant number of service providers and installers, complex integrations, and years of planning to provide physical security to the stadiums. Here’s a peek at a slice of that work.
The World Cup is one of the biggest international sporting events. Almost half of the world’s population tuned in to watch the month-long 2010 World Cup in South Africa, according to FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Russia, the host country for the 2018 men’s World Cup, spent billions of dollars in preparation for the occasion. The country reportedly devoted between $11 billion and $14 billion to World Cup expenses, including approximately $3 billion to stadium builds and updates. The hefty bill is on par with other host countries, none of which have spent less than $10 billion in the last decade or so.
With around one million people reportedly coming and going from Russia during the 21st World Cup, the physical security and safety of participants, employees and spectators was an enormous undertaking — and a similarly enormous success as no major incidents were reported. A country hosting such a large event is intently watched by the international community, and negative events or coverage risk damaging a country’s reputation.