There "could be a billion dollars at stake" when the whistle blows at Westpac Stadium on Saturday, according to Michael Burgess of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. If Peru, which faces the All Whites this weekend in the first leg of the Intercontinental playoffs, qualifies for the 2018 World Cup, it "could be worth" more than $1B to the Andean country. A report by one of Peru's leading current affairs programs, Reporte Semanal (Weekly Report), put the value of qualifying for next year's World Cup at $1.3B to the Peruvian economy. Economist Jorge Carrillo told the program that the "effect of Peru's first World Cup qualification in more than 35 years would be dramatic for the country." Aside from the "gargantuan" TV rights deals and sponsorship and marketing packages put together by large corporations across the country, Peru's success "would have a direct and immediate impetus on the local economy." Carrillo forecast sales will increase "across all kinds of categories." That is "not forgetting" the impact on bars, restaurants and clubs, which could expect an average increase in revenue of around 10%. Carrillo estimated that the "overall effect could provide a boost" of at least 0.5% to the Peru's Gross Domestic Product, which last year was measured at $192B (NZ HERALD, 11/8).
