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Special Report: How to be small and successful in Latin America (ISSN 17414474)

Introduction

The recently concluded Fifa World Cup, held in Russia, surprised many sports commentators. Some of the ‘big country’ teams with an impressive football heritage crashed out early – a list that included the likes of Brazil, Germany, and Argentina. Some ‘small country’ teams did exceptionally well. Uruguay, Panama, and Costa Rica – three countries that we will be examining in some detail later on in this report, all qualified for the tournament (in the case of Panama, this was for the first time ever). Other small countries exceeded expectations, including Iceland, with a population of just over 340,000, which held the mighty Argentina (population 44.2m) to a draw. And of course, Croatia (population 4.12m) went all the way to the finals, albeit eventually losing to France (population 67.1m). Many commentators highlighted these disparities in population size and sporting success; some outlined a whole range of other factors that might be in play: team spirit, footballing strategy, tactical skill, patriotism, and cultural attitudes among them.

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