LONDON, June 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the biggest in history; 48 teams, 104 games, 3 host nations and only one team will lift the trophy on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
As England prepares to face Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, Professor of Finance at London Business School, Alex Edmans is available to discuss why the outcome may matter far beyond football.
Professor Edmans is co-author of the landmark study Sports Sentiment and Stock Returns, which found that national stock markets tend to fall after major international football defeats, even when there is no underlying economic reason for prices to move. His research suggests that investor behaviour is often influenced by mood and sentiment as well as facts and fundamentals.
Today, Edmans believes the findings may be even more relevant today, as retail investing via mobile trading apps has dramatically increased market participation and potentially amplified the impact of sentiment, news and collective mood swings.
Journalists may be interested in exploring:
- Why football results at large sporting events such as the World Cup can influence financial markets
- Whether retail investing has amplified the impact of sentiment
- The growing role of psychology in modern markets
- Why investors are not always as rational as assumed
Professor Alex Edmans is also available to discuss his forthcoming book, The Madness of Markets, which examines why markets can behave irrationally and how narratives, emotions and human behaviour continue to shape investment decisions.
Thomas Tuchel's side face their fellow Europeans in a repeat of the 2018 semi-final World Cup clash between the two nations, which Croatia won 2-1 in Moscow.
To schedule an interview with Professor Alex Edmans, please contact:
Jeremy Singer at London Business School / Email: Press@london.edu
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5b0281ae-8c1b-48fb-86c4-09840c8e3399

