28.06.2014
Who do Ukrainians cheer for at the 2014 FIFA World Cup
- According to the results of a study conducted by the Rating Group, the 2014 FIFA World Cup generated less interest than the 2010 World Cup and significantly less than EURO 2012. Most fans supported Brazil and Germany, which were also considered the main favorites of the tournament, while Brazil’s chances of winning were assessed as twice as high.
- About one third of the adult population followed the events of the 2014 World Cup. In particular, 14% followed or intended to follow most matches, 9% followed the playoff matches and the final, and another 9% followed only the final. Meanwhile, 65% were not interested in the tournament at all. The highest level of interest was observed in the North, Center, and West of Ukraine. The decrease in overall interest was largely explained by the difficult situation in Eastern Ukraine: while in 2010 the Donbas region showed significant interest in the tournament, in 2014, due to objective circumstances, interest there was the lowest.
- 56% of Ukrainian men and 13% of women followed the World Cup. In 2010, nearly two thirds of men and almost every fifth woman followed World Cup matches. Most fans were young and middle-aged people. Additionally, the higher the level of education and income, the higher the interest in the tournament.
- One third of fans supported Brazil, while 27% supported Germany. The Netherlands were supported by 15%, France by 12%, Argentina by 9%, Portugal by 8%, Belgium by 3%, Uruguay by 2%, and Mexico by 1%. Notably, a significant share of Ukrainians supported teams that did not advance from the group stage: Spain (21%), Italy (15%), England (13%), Portugal (8%), Russia (6%), and Croatia (4%). It is likely that after these teams were eliminated, overall interest in the tournament declined.
- While during EURO 2012 about one quarter of Ukrainian fans supported Russia, during the 2014 World Cup only 6% did so.
- According to respondents, the highest chances of winning were attributed to Brazil (23%), Germany (14%), and the Netherlands (7%). France and Argentina were each named by 3% as potential winners.
- It is also worth noting that in 2012 Ukrainians accurately predicted the winner of the European Football Championship: nearly one third predicted Spain, which ultimately won EURO 2012.
Methodology
- Audience: population of Ukraine aged 18 and older.
- Sample: 2,000 respondents, representative by age, gender, region, and settlement type.
- Method: face-to-face structured interviews using a questionnaire.
- Margin of error: not more than 2.2%.
- Fieldwork period: June 17–24, 2014.
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