FIFAnomics

If you are planning to watch the final…

Bertoli and Yin find that competing at the World Cup increases the likelihood that two countries will experience a drop in trade by 12% if soccer is the most popular sport for both sides.
If the final is between England and France …how worse could it get??

The World Cup, Nationalism, and International Trade
Authors: Andrew Bertoli and George Yin
From: Dartmouth College

Don’t be fooled by old myths

Scoring a goal just before half time DOES NOT guarantee a win as Baert and Amez found out after looking at 1,179 games played in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

No Better Moment to Score a Goal than Just Before Half Time? A Soccer Myth Statistically Tested
Authors: Stijn Baert, Simon Amez
From: Ghent University

If the game goes to penalty kicks

Remember:

• the teams that shoot first win in 47 percent of cases!
• beware  of the goalkeeper who jumps right or left more frequently than he stays at the center

Nash Equilibrium and Penalty Kicks Outside the Top-5: It Is Not as Bad as You Think
Author: Egor Malkov
From: University of Minessota