World Cup might cost a total of $14.5 bn in lost productivity worldwide

Brazil's government recently said it will allow state workers to adjust their hours when the national team competes. Outside of soccer-mad Brazil, though, few countries are likely to take such a step.

Every four years, as football fans gear up for the World Cup, researchers engage in a game of their own: trying to determine just how costly the tournament is to employers and economies. Our own contribution to this genre suggests that the calculation is a bit more complex than is generally acknowledged.

To calculate the number of productive hours at risk in this year's tournament, we assume local office hours are between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and that 50 per cent of each country's workforce will be interested in watching the games. We estimate that a total of $14.5