Which one is higher, the European Cup or the World Cup?

The 2024 European Cup final between Spain and England will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The TV ratings of this final reached 530 million people worldwide, exceeding the 510 million of the 2014 World Cup final between Germany and Argentina. From the perspective of pure football level and viewing value, the European Cup has surpassed the World Cup in some dimensions.

The World Cup is still football's highest honor, but the overall level and final level of the European Cup are often considered higher than the World Cup. This controversy has been unresolved since the 1980s. The essential differences between the two competitions lie in the source of the teams, the design of the competition system, and the commercial attributes. Which one is better needs to be classified and discussed.

Why is the level of the European Cup so high?

Only European countries participate in the European Cup, and Europe accounts for 12 to 14 of FIFA's top 20 teams. This means that every match in the European Cup is played against strong teams, and there are no weak teams like in the World Cup.

All 24 participating countries in the 2024 European Cup are ranked in the top 40 by FIFA, with an average ranking of 18th. During the same period, the average ranking of the 32 participating countries in the 2022 World Cup was 30th, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Canada and other teams outside the 40th place in the FIFA rankings. This overall difference in team level makes every game in the European Cup exciting.

Why does the level of the World Cup fluctuate?

The core attraction of the World Cup is global participation, but global participation means a large gap in levels. In the group stage under the 32-team or even 48-team system, disparities of 5-0 and 6-1 often occur. This disparity reduces the enjoyment of the first two rounds of the World Cup.

In the 2018 Russia World Cup group stage, 18% of games had a disparity of more than 5 goals. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the proportion dropped slightly but is still 12%. During the same period, the proportion of disparity in the European Cup group stage matches did not exceed 5%. This kind of data makes fans feel that there are no parallel import games in the European Cup.

The quality of the final matchup

The quality of the European Cup finals is generally higher than that of the World Cup finals. The 2020 European Cup finals will pit Italy against England, the 2024 European Cup finals will pit Spain against England, and the 2016 European Cup finals will pit Portugal against France. These finals are all duels between the world's top teams.

The World Cup finals showdowns are sometimes of slightly weaker quality. In the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, both sides were not in their prime. In the 2010 final between Spain and the Netherlands, the players were in limited form. In the 2014 final between Germany and Argentina, Argentina relied on luck to reach the final. This difference in final level makes some fans prefer the European Cup final.

Comparison of media ratings

The World Cup still beats the European Cup in ratings. The 2022 World Cup final has a global audience of 5 billion, and the 2024 European Cup final has a global audience of 530 million. The coverage of the World Cup is 10 times that of the European Cup.

But the proportion of high-end viewers in a single European Cup game is higher. Core sports fans account for more than 70% of the TV viewers of the European Cup, and the World Cup viewers include more general public and family viewers. This audience structure makes the European Cup more valued by industry insiders.

Business value comparison

The commercial value of the World Cup far exceeds that of the European Cup. The total revenue of the 2022 Qatar World Cup is US$7.5 billion, and the total revenue of the 2024 European Cup is US$2.5 billion, a gap of three times.

However, the advertising fee for a single game of the European Cup is already close to that of the World Cup. The 30-second advertising fee for the 2024 European Cup final is 1.8 million euros, and the 30-second advertising fee for the 2022 World Cup final is 2.2 million euros. This single-game unit price gap has narrowed to less than 2 times.

Concentration of superstars

The concentration of superstars in the European Cup is much higher than that in the World Cup. Among the players participating in the 2024 European Cup, there are dozens of Ballon d'Or winners such as Rodri, Modric, Bellingham, Mbappe, Haaland, Kane, etc.

The superstars of the World Cup are scattered in 32 countries. Many superstars are unable to appear in the World Cup due to the insufficient level of the national team. For example, Egypt's Salah, Norway's Haaland, and Denmark's Eriksen, it is difficult for these stars to appear in the World Cup. The European Cup brings together all these superstars, and each game has 2 to 3 Ballon d'Or-level duels.

Pace and intensity of play

The average running distance and physical intensity of the European Cup matches are higher than those of the World Cup. According to statistics, the average total distance run by players per game in the 2024 European Cup is about 115 kilometers, and in the 2022 World Cup it is about 108 kilometers. This difference in statistics reflects the tactical rhythm of the two events.

The pace of the World Cup is slower because the pace of European teams and South American teams is very different. In the game, one side has the ball and the other is waiting for a counterattack. The European Cup is full of European-style teams, with a neat and fast pace, and more goals and shots.

their own scarcity

The World Cup is held every four years, and the European Cup is also held every four years but is staggered by two years from the World Cup. So football fans have a top event every 2 years. This alternating rhythm keeps both events scarce.

The scarcity of the World Cup lies in its global nature. There is only one sports event every four years that 12 billion people around the world pay attention to. This sense of scale cannot be replaced by the European Cup. The scarcity of the European Cup lies in the level. There is only one event every four years where 24 of Europe's top teams compete. This level of competition cannot be replaced by the World Cup.

The real choice for fans

Senior fans generally prefer the European Cup. The reason is that the level is high, the pace is fast, and there is no parallel competition. Ordinary fans prefer the World Cup. The reasons are that there is a strong sense of participation, there are competitions in one’s own country, and there is a high degree of cultural tolerance.

This layering allows both events to have their own target audience. Neither FIFA nor UEFA will try to make the other disappear, but rather enhance each other. The high level of the European Cup has made the World Cup also raise the threshold for participation, and the great influence of the World Cup has made the European Cup also gain global attention. Healthy competition between the two events is the basic pattern of modern football.

The final answer to who is taller

There is no standard answer to who is better, the World Cup or the European Cup. From a pure level perspective, the European Cup is slightly higher, but from a pure influence perspective, the World Cup is absolutely crushing. This is like asking who is higher between the Olympic Games and the World Championships. Events at the two levels have different evaluation dimensions.

The real answer is that both events are top-notch. The World Cup is the Olympics of football, and the European Cup is the World Championship of football. One depends on the influence and the other depends on the level. Fans can like both without having to choose one or the other. This is the real logic behind the European Cup and World Cup coexisting for 80 years.