Russia will host the 2018 World Cup. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stated that the country will overhaul its infrastructure to meet the deadline. The government will spend around $3.8 billion on stadiums and expand airports and roads, but Chris Weafer, chief strategist at UralSib Financial Corp, believes that total spending may reach as high as $500 billion. [6 ETFs to Play the World Cup Picks.]
Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup. Part of the country’s success is attributed to the years and billions of dollars in investments dedicated to developing sports – especially football (that’s soccer, of course). Qatar’s economy is expected to expand 15.5% this year and potentially surge 21% in 2011.
Is it a given that the World Cup will boost these ETFs? Not necessarily, but it will be an interesting thing to watch as this story plays out. Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap (NYSEArca: BRF) looks to have benefited from the attention as the 2014 host; it’s up 20.3% in the last year.
Max Chen contributed to this article.