According to Singaporeans, Germany is Likely to Win the 2018 FIFA World Cup

The quintessential World Cup guide from Singaporeans for Singaporeans

SINGAPORE, 14 June 2018 -- The 2018 FIFA World Cup is finally upon us! We at Milieu Insight, an independent consumer market research company, have taken it upon ourselves to find out how Singaporeans feel about various hot topics related to the World Cup. A World Cup-themed survey was conducted in June 2018 among a sample of 1,134 Singapore residents who expressed an intention to follow the 2018 World Cup. The data has been weighted to ensure that it represents the online population of Singapore in terms of age and gender demographics. The survey polled respondents on various topics such as their favourite teams, favourite players, and media consumption habits related to the World Cup.

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World Cup predictions

According to our findings, Germany are not only firm favourites to win the trophy, they are also the best supported team in Singapore. 25% of respondents predicted a German victory while Brazil came in a distant second with 15% of respondents predicting a Brazilian victory. Germany leads Brazil with 19% of respondents supporting them versus 17% for Brazil. While Singaporeans have pretty much written off England’s chances of winning the tournament, they came in a respectable joint third with Spain in terms of fan-base in Singapore.

Despite Portugal’s low standings in support and prospects, their captain Cristiano Ronaldo stands head and shoulders above everybody else in his quest for the Golden Boot. 29% of respondents believe that he will be the top scorer in the tournament. Lionel Messi came in a distant second at 16% in this category. It is a closer fight for tournament MVP (Golden Ball) with Cristiano Ronaldo edging Lionel Messi out with 24% of respondents believing he will be named MVP versus 20% for Lionel Messi.

There is notable optimism in Mohamed Salah’s recovery from injury as 5% of respondents believe he has a good chance of winning the Golden Boot and an equal number of respondents believe he will be walking home with the Golden Ball.

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Consumption patterns

The vast majority of Singaporean World Cup followers (66%) will not be subscribing to a service provider to watch the 2018 World Cup. At least 59% of respondents will be watching the games via free online streaming links. We have found that the decision to forego paid content is consistent across all household income levels. Perhaps it is time for our service providers to recalibrate their pricing plans and marketing strategies.

Food caterers rejoice as a 57% majority of soccer fans will be expected to increase their demand for food delivery while the games are on. In this category, McDonald’s reign supreme as the king of late night food delivery. 61% of Singaporean World Cup fans will be enjoying McDonald’s well-integrated, fast and efficient food delivery service. Other providers such as Domino’s, KFC and Pizza Hut can also look forward to an uptick in demand.

In the beverage category, supermarkets should be looking to stock up on beer as almost half of local World Cup followers believe it is the most ideal drink to accompany a game on television.

Societal norms and expectations

Our findings show significant gender differences across categories relating to the essence of the World Cup experience. While males are more likely to be regular followers of the sport, females are more likely to follow the tournament to “join in the fun” with their family and friends. Males are also more likely to place bets on the matches and have a preference for catching the games with their friends, while females prefer to watch the games with their romantic partners and family members. It is interesting to know that in spite of these gender differences in football familiarity and gambling appetite, females have shown themselves to be equally capable pundits. The predictions of tournament favourites were largely consistent across both genders.

We come away from this survey with the realization that the World Cup represents something far beyond a football competition. It is a month-long communal festival where people come together to embrace the joy of companionship. The choice of company, the choice of food (chips and pizza), and the gratification of sharing a beer are reflected in the choices the respondents of this survey have made. We hope you will enjoy this football bonanza as much as we will.