World Cup boosts the soccer economy

MOSCOW - The 2018 World Cup in Russia will draw to a close on Saturday, and the event that began on June 14 has been already hailed as a commercial and economic success.

Fans from all around the world have enjoyed a soccer celebration whose economic benefits will accrue to not just the host nation but those taking part, experts said.

A report by Professor Francesc Rufas, an expert in the "soccer economy" at the EAE Business School in Spain, highlights the benefits for the host nation Russa as "a short-term increase of 0.5 percent in GDP, which comes thanks to the economic boost given by tourism and the construction of infrastructure".