The purpose of this book is to summarize the research project activities in which Sport Business School Finland took part in the FIFA World CupTM 2010 in South Africa. The articles in this publication explore the findings of different studies from several perspectives. The first two texts were written by internationally acknowledged academics from South Africa and the USA. The first article reveals the phases of preparatory planning and the challenges of a research project in a larger perspective. The second article discusses the broader context of nation branding, explores the tourism legacy and brand perceptions of international visitors.

The other four articles were written by members of the Sport Business School research team. These articles discuss the theoretical framework and methodology used in a field research project concerning sport fans, the combination of the perceived brand image adjectives of football linked to a brand model and a football fan’s value structure internationally and in Finland. The last text explores the challenges and describes the best practices of a sport event impact research process.