The World Cup was a "game-changing" moment for football in China, Wanda Sports CEO Yang Hengming said, according to Danielle Long of THE DRUM. Wanda was the first Chinese brand to partner with FIFA, alongside adidas, McDonald's, Hyundai and Qatar Airlines, for the '18 event. The Chinese company "was part of a significant Chinese presence at this year’s event." China’s commitment to the 2018 World Cup is expected to add an extra $835M in ad spend around the event. Yang: "This World Cup has seen China and Chinese football fans embrace the tournament like never before, with 100,000 Chinese fans having traveled to Russia to enjoy the games and millions more following back home on TV, online and social media. I think this will be a game-changing moment for the sport in China and it will start to embed a more engaged football culture within the country that will help football really develop from within, both at an elite and grassroots level." Yang said that the "increased interest by Chinese audiences was evident in the viewing figures," with China recording 14 of the top 20 largest audiences on TV. The biggest average audience was 43.33 million viewers for the Brazil vs. Costa Rica game (THE DRUM, 7/16).
