The bond between soccer fans and footwear is expected to heat up this summer during the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

Just how popular is the World Cup? Try this comparison on for size: combine the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup Finals, the NBA Finals, and for good measure, a seventh game of the World Series and you are only starting to approach the level of interest and excitement the month-long soccer competition (June 12-July 13) generates once every four years around the world.