A Growing Business Line for Insurers and a Recent Predictor of FIFA World Cup Winners

DBRS Morningstar published a commentary examining the growth of sport insurance and how total insurable values of professional players have recently been used by Lloyd’s of London to successfully predict the outcome of FIFA World Cups.

Key highlights include the following:

— Sports insurance includes coverages for business interruption and event cancellation, disability and accidents, physical damage, general liability, and directors and officer liability.

— Disability and accident insurance is a key risk management tool for professional athletes and teams that can face considerable earning losses in case of injuries.

— Lloyd’s has successfully used insurable values of players to predict the outcome of the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups, pointing the to the accuracy of insurance models to assess potential earnings.

“With the highest estimated insurable value (GBP 3.17 billion), Lloyd’s model predicts that England will win the 2022 FIFA World Cup after defeating Brazil in the final match. Previously, Lloyd’s accurately predicted France’s win in 2018 and Germany’s in 2014,” said Marcos Alvarez, Global Head of Insurance. “In DBRS Morningstar’s view, the sport insurance business will continue to grow in line with the global expansion of the professional sport industry, which is expected to reach USD 600 billion in revenues by 2025 at a cumulative annual growth rate of 8%, increasing total insurable values and exposure to business interruption losses.”