Will Italy’s Euro win lead to a baby boom?

Could Italy’s triumph on Sunday result not just in a trophy for the azzuri, but a baby boom for a nation with one of Europe’s lowest fertility rates?

The anecdotal evidence would support this theory. Nine months after Iceland beat England in a Euro 2016 match, it experienced an unprecedented increase in births. This was the first time the nation had ever qualified for a major European tournament, and close to 10 per cent of its 300,000 population watched the game in person. Spain’s birth rate also shot up 16 per cent nine months after Barcelona won the 2009 Champions League.

Yet a new paper from Luca Fumarco and Francesco Principe pours cold water on the idea that sports success euphoria boosts human conception. If anything, Italy’s birth rate could benefit from more Berrettinis and fewer Bonuccis, given an increase in national teams’ performance is associated with a reduction in births nine months after the event.