More than 700 million people tuned in to watch the 2010 World Cup™ final – 23.4 million of those in the United States. With ratings in the U.S. for the World Cup™ drawing record numbers, and popularity at an all-time high, bringing this international event back to the U.S. presents many exciting opportunities for America’s broadcasters, including much needed economic benefits.

Hosting the World Cup™ would make a significant economic impact – upwards of $5 billion and the creation of 100,000 jobs.

For these reasons, the National Association of Broadcasters is supporting the nonprofit USA Bid Committee’s campaign to bring the World Cup™ back to the U.S.

In December 2010, soccer’s governing body – the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) – will select the countries that will host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup™.

As part of the U.S. bid, 18 cities were selected to host the World Cup games.

NAB is providing resources for stations that want to voluntarily participate in the USA Bid Committee’s campaign, including television spots, radio scripts, web ad banners and social media tools.

Uniting behind this campaign is an opportunity for us to demonstrate the power of broadcasting while advocating on behalf of the millions of World Cup™ fans in the U.S.

Visit www.nab.org/worldcup to explore and utilize the resources available to radio and television stations to help bring the FIFA World Cup™ to the U.S.