The universal popularity and appeal of football makes it a common denominator for everyone irrespective of gender, age, race and social standing. As a result, the FIFA World Cup™ represents one of the most effective global marketing platforms which offers sponsors unmatched opportunities for reaching out to the consumer.

Football is the world's favourite sport, played by over 240 million players in 1.4 million teams and in 300,000 clubs across the world. The FIFA World Cup™ reaches an audience of a size and diversity that is unrivalled by any other single-sports body. Add to this a passion for the game found in all corners of the world, and you have a sporting, social and marketing phenomenon.

Statistics underline this bold statement: the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ was watched by hundreds of millions live on television with some 500 broadcasters -- almost double the amount in 2002 -- generating total coverage of more than 73,000 hours. This is a phenomenal sum in itself, but is all the more remarkable for the fact that this equates to a TV channel broadcasting 24/7 for over eight years.

The official website FIFAworldcup.com reached another milestone in the history of sports websites by registering 4.2 billion page views in total during the competition, more than double the traffic in 2002. The tournament also attracted an unprecedented amount of on-site coverage by the media, with a total 18,850 journalists accredited from around the world -- 4,250 print journalists, 1,200 photographers and 13,400 TV and radio representatives.