For some people in France, victory was achieved long before the finals. The French national soccer team returned victorious, and so did companies like Louis Vuitton, Metalu Plast or Freyssinet. With a record-high budget for the FIFA 2018 edition in Russia, numerous French companies acquired not only profitable contracts, but a level of publicity they had rarely achieved before. Be it in luxury goods or in infrastructure, many French companies seized the opportunity to showcase their know-how.