973/FCS
Editorials
Members
Research Department
Image Licensing
About
If you’d like to commission a research report, strategic advice or get in touch to know more, please contact: marvin.heilbronn@footballcasestudy.com
Editorials
Members
Research Department
Image Licensing
About
Scott Groult
From the geopolitical power struggles that erupt on the stage of the World Cup to the economic disparities visible in the uneven quality of balls, goals, and cleats between neighboring communities, football serves as a lens through which the complex dimensions of our world come into focus: what unfolds on the pitch is often a mirror of the world beyond it, as football reflects life.
Like a kaleidoscope, each shift in league, level, or location refracts the game in new ways, raising questions about the economic, social, and political forces behind it and revealing the dynamics that give form to both the game and the society surrounding it. For every moment of beauty the game offers, there are just as many that expose how distant we remain from the world we hope to create. It is within this complexity that Football Case Study positions its Research Department, dedicated to understanding the world through football.
THE RETURN OF COLOMBIA TO FOOTBALL’S WORLD STAGE: MEASURING ITS IMPACT ON THE NATION'S YOUTH
After failing to qualify for the World Cup in 2022, Colombia has returned to the global stage with long-bottled ambition, providing a positive effect on one group in particular: the country’s youth. For the FCS Research Dept. Writer Maya Davis reveals how the success of a national team and their stars leaves a lasting mark on young players' lives, while strengthening the national infrastructure that sustain the sport.Read more
FCS-ID: R3/MD17726 —57
Maya Davis
Marvin Heilbronn
Jasper Broad
THE PRICE OF ADMISSION: DYNAMIC PRICING AT THE WORLD CUP
In the months leading up to the 2026 World Cup, ticket prices for the event have become a recurring headline for media outlets and pundits alike. Through history and data, the FCS Research Dept. breaks down why this shift occured, and how much of it can be attributed to the profit-driven economic structure in the United States.Read more
FCS-ID: R2/MHJB323626 —1
Jasper Broad
Marvin Heilbronn
POWER & CONSUMPTION: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FOOTBALL CASE STUDY RESEARCH DEPARTMENT’S TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
After 1,271 days, the World Cup is back. Marvin Heilbronn, Head of the Football Case Study Research Department, and Jasper Broad examine how the platform will cover this summer's tournament, using the United States, one of three host nations, as a lens to explore what it has always brought to the global stage: power and consumption, and a spectacle that displays how thoroughly the event has been captured by the forces of exclusion it claims to be above.Read more
FCS-ID: R1/MHJB30626 —1
Marvin Heilbronn
Jasper Broad
PAN-AFRICANISM BEYOND CELEBRATION: OUR SHORTCOMINGS THIS AFCON
Yale student Sityana Abdu traveled to Morocco during AFCON 2025 to observe football's role in Pan-Africanism firsthand. But what began as a month of cross-continental unity, with strangers bonding across fan zones, Moroccan crowds honoring Senegalese anthems, and flags from all 24 nations adorning the streets, quickly unraveled after a deeply controversial final. In this on-the-ground piece with retrospective reporting, Abdu reflects on the fallout, and what it exposed about unity, hostility, and nationhood.Read more
FCS-ID: D27/SA10426 —212
Sityana Abdu
THE LONG ASCENT: WOMEN‘S
FOOTBALL
AND THE MEANING OF THE AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
A rainy morning at a Chelsea flea market led writer Jonah Buchanan to a small but powerful discovery: three forgotten snapshots from the 1994 World Cup. Amateur and anonymous, the photographs — a Brazilian fan performance, a shared moment between rivals, and a Dutch supporter’s quiet despair — offer more than nostalgia. They become a lens to examine how ephemeral, everyday images can reveal the deeper human experience of football beyond match reports, connecting spectators across time and space through the simple act of witnessing.Read more
FCS-ID: P06/MH20625—1
Marvin Heilbronn
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD THROUGH FOOTBALL: DAVID GOLDBLATT
David Goldblatt examines how football reflects — and is shaped by — the world’s political, economic, and cultural forces. From the paradoxes of commercialization and rising inequality to the promise of women’s football and the complexities of U.S. hosting the World Cup, Goldblatt offers a sweeping, critical lens on the global game. Through deep analysis and candid conversation, he reveals how football not only mirrors society’s fractures and hopes but also offers a powerful arena for change.Read More
FCS-ID: I07/MH10925—1
Marvin Heilbronn
FAITH AND FOOTBALL: A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR RAMADAN IN FOOTBALL
Faith and Football research explores the intersection of belief, identity, and the game, examining how faith traditions shape football cultures, rituals, and community life across different regions. Through research, the project looks beyond results and statistics to understand how football becomes a space where spiritual expression, social belonging, and cultural identity converge.
Read more
FCS-ID: P03/HL30325—39
Harlem Lamine