New World Cup winners and the grudge of the reigning champion: Is diversity the key to success in high-level football competitions?

Abstract

Across all industries, the term 'diversity' is often the subject of controversial debate. Studies provide conflicting results on the impact of diversity on team performance in general. With a specific focus on professional football, this paper provides a brief review of the literature in this area of research. As there are conflicting results, they will be discussed. By the conference, the author will present current findings on the impact of diversity in national football teams and their performance at World Cups from 1966 to 2018, placing them in the context of previous findings. Keywords: Diversity, Multinational Teams, Professional Soccer, FIFA World Cup.