Does the World Cup favor democratic or autocratic nations?

The data shows that democracies are overrepresented at the World Cup and also tend to do better than authoritarian nations—but does that matter?

[Photo: Getty Images]

It is often said—by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and many others—that soccer is the “most democratic sport.” That sentiment is based in large part on the sport’s global appeal and long history of popularity across class and racial lines.

But whether that axiom applies to the quadrennial World Cup tournament is a different........

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