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[QUOTE="intlzncster, post: 2767109, member: 56"]
Ah, that's different.  I obviously don't know about everywhere, but I remember reading that it's really come on in Africa over the last 10 years or so.  The WC in South Africa was testament to that growth*.  And you can see it in the quality of play of African teams.    Though overall growth is limited by political, money, and infrastructure concerns.

*As corrupt as it is, FIFA still tries to put the tournament in growth areas at times.   I think that's one of the reasons they put it in Qatar--to get middle east exposure.  Combine that with a massive bribe or ten, and you've got the Cup in the middle of nowhere.

There's an inexorable spread of the game eastward. And the rise of Asia economically will only hasten football's growth.

There's already some noise about China potentially hosting a world cup (maybe even 2034). That's a massively underserved market they want to tap.   Chinese were in the top 10 in tickets bought this world cup and they've only qualified once. 
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I actually decided to take a look and found this interesting chart.  These numbers have likely exploded in the last five years as well.   The last decade has seen absurd money come into football.

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