Introduction

MAHFOUD AMARA, NIKOLAY KOZHANOV AND MAHJOOB ZWEIRI

1 Revisiting the History of Qatar’s Decision to Bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

KRISTIAN COATES ULRICHSEN

2 A Geopolitical Economy of the FIFA World Cup: Observations from Qatar’s Hosting of FIFA’s Showcase Tournament

SIMON CHADWICK

3 Qatari Lessons for Activists Gearing Up for a 2034 Saudi World Cup

JAMES M. DORSEY

4 The Impact of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Iran: A Clean Sheet for Scoring Political Points

GHONCHEH TAZMINI

5 The 2022 FIFA World Cup and the Post‑Colonial

Narrative Examined 81

SARAH AL NAIMI AND THOMAS BONNIE JAMES

6 Qatar’s Sports Diplomacy of the 2022 World Cup and Ontological Security of Qatar Foreign Policy

HAZAL MUSLU EL BERNI

7 Building a Lasting Legacy: Beyond Qatar 2022

SIMONA AZZALI

8 Infrastructural, Socio‑cultural and Economic Issues Dealing with Disabled Spectators: Lessons from the FIFA World Cup 2018 and Qatar Experience

VADIM KAPUSTKIN

9 Framing of the FIFA World Cup 2022: An Examination of Message Appeal in the English Language Press in the UAE

MAGDALENA KAROLAK

10 Nation Branding Through Sport Mega‑Events: The Case of Qatar’s World Cup

KAMILLA SWART, OTHMAN ALTHAWADI, YARA ZEYAD ALI AND BRENDON KNOTT

11 The World Cup and Human Rights in Qatar: A Catalyst for Change?

YOUCEF BOUANDEL AND THOMAS BONNIE JAMES

12 FIFA World Cup as a Catalyst for Qatar to Achieve its Goals on Sustainability and Sports Diplomacy

MELTEM ÖZEL

13 Sport Diplomacy and Soft Power through Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022: A Case of Generation Amazing

DAVIES BANDA, KRISTIAN COATES ULRICHSEN, NASSER AL KHORI AND JONATHAN MISEROY