If Mexico Fails To Qualify For The World Cup, Could Its Economy Suffer?

After Mexico fell to the United States in their World Cup qualifier match on Tuesday night, newspapers compared the team to the "Titanic", or worse. Mexico now has two games left to make up the gap which separates them and a 2014 World Cup berth. And some say that in addition to the blow to the national pride of a country whose teams usually pose a formidable threat to their competitors in the tournament, Mexico's economy would also suffer if they don't qualify.

Rogelio Roa, commercial director of the sports marketing firm DreaMatch Solutions, is saying that the economic effects of the "Titanic" would devastate the sport and the countless companies which make a profit from Mexico's success in it. His own company estimates that about $600 million hangs in the balance for consumer brands and TV stations which sell products and services. "Mexico's team is one of the top-five earners in the sport," Roa told Bloomberg. "If it doesn't make it to the World Cup, everything related to it will devaluate."

Not just in Mexico, either. More than 31 million people in the US are of Mexican origin, according to data from the 2010 census. If Mexico doesn't qualify, ESPN and Univision might see a lot of their expected audience tune out. That would be quite a few people: ESPN reported after a World Cup qualifying match between Mexico and the United States in March that almost 2.5 million people had tuned in to watch, the most ever for a qualifier or international friendly shown on that network.

Leon Kreuze, main anchor of Univision's Los Angeles affiliate and one-time historian of Mexico's national team, wrote in Bloomberg on Friday that the disappointment of fans would even reflect poorly on Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. The president has been trying to push through a broad series of reforms on everything from the country's tax structure to education to energy. "The image of a lost generation of young Mexican sportsmen would be a sad reminder of the perils of paralysis for a country that has already squandered a sizable chunk of its demographic dividend," opined Kreuze.

Not everyone, however, is looking at Mexico's chances with such a pessimistic attitude. Roa told the Associated Press that while he was concerned about what it meant for his company and the sports marketing industry, he wasn't ready to admit defeat just yet. "It is worrying all of us involved in the industry," he said, adding, "I am confident that Mexico can overcome this."

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