The unconventional start time of the World Cup final

The final of the World Cup between France and Croatia will be a European affair, but it will start at a decidedly non-European time.

Fans of Paris and Zagreb, used to watching the world's biggest prime time matches, will have to go back to their televisions for a 17-hour start. The match starts at 18 hours. in Moscow and at 11 o'clock on the East Coast of the United States, after decades of Western European priority, the FIFA Compbad began to move to the East in recent years.

The Chinese government is pushing hard to become a football power, and its citizens will not have to stay up all night to watch a World Cup final. In 2014, the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro started at 3 am in Beijing and at 4 am in Tokyo. Sunday's match starts at 11 pm With the exception of the 2002 World Cup, which took place in Japan and South Korea, the last 12 World Cups all started at midnight or later in Beijing, although it's in the whole world. the most populated time zone. Chinese residents could have watched in black and white at 10 pm as England won the 1966 World Cup on its soil. FIFA spokesman Fabrice Jouhaud said the coup of the final Sunday was set three years ago in cooperation "with several stakeholders." According to Jouhaud, "a number of It did not say how important the Asian market was."

FIFA is not the only governing body of football setting departure times in Asia La Liga, the Spanish league, has already held matches in older slots to attract Asian viewers, including the biggest club football match, the Clásico, between Barcelona and Real Madrid

.A should begin the earlier matches, and the Premier League has considered selling an early game package that would appeal to Asia.Best clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have also opened up commercial offices in China

China's World Cup odds are not yet available, but the number of viewers in China is booming 19659002] While European clubs are desperate to Calf fans in Asia to watch their matches and buy their jerseys, Chinese companies are trying to increase their visibility in the West through football. FIFA has not signed a new Western sponsor since 2011, the brands having fled the corruption scandal and guilty pleas of several FIFA executives.

FIFA will draw $ 1.65 billion from the sponsorship World Cup, 14% more than expected, largely thanks to Chinese companies. Seven of the 20 official sponsors of the World Cup are Chinese companies, including promoter Wanda Group, which has signed as FIFA's partner the highest level of sponsorship.