Impact of sports mega-events on host countries: a systematic literature review using PRISMA method

Abstract

Abstract

The organization of large-scale international sports events is currently generating significant interest among the scientific community, given their importance and the multiple economic, social, political, and cultural issues they generate. The present systematic literature review aims to rigorously analyzing the factual impacts of these events, particularly the FIFA World Cups, on the host countries. This research revealed various limitations within the existing literature, specifically in the context of developing countries, which opens up prospects for future research, both ex ante and ex post. In this regard, depending on a methodology complying with the PRISMA protocol, the selection of studies was conducted on three main databases, namely: (WoS, Scopus, and Google Scholar) covering the period from 2004 to 2024, among which 21 publications were selected for in-depth analysis. The collected results highlight the establishment of a progressive scientific consensus: the direct economic impact tends to be overestimated while the actual benefits reside mostly in intangible effects, such as social cohesion, improved international image, and a sense of collective well-being. Moreover, this study attempts to provide decision-makers and organizers of sports mega-events with a rigorous synthesis of research conducted over the past twenty years, through establishing a scientific basis to inform their strategic decisions.

Keywords: sports mega-events; impact; host countries; World Cup; PRISMA