The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

This book offers an in‑depth analysis of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, this was a unique sporting mega‑event, and this book explores its wider significance across political, socio‑cultural, economic, organisational and historical dimensions.

Featuring the work of an international team of researchers, this book includes local and regional perspectives on the Qatar World Cup as well as views from beyond the Middle East. It covers the development phase, including the bidding process, as well as the tournament itself, exploring key contemporary issues in sport and event studies such as sports diplomacy and the geopolitics of sport, post‑colonial narratives, event legacies and community development, media framing, inclusive access, sport policy and governance, and mega‑events and human rights.

Making sense of the world’s biggest sports event in an era in which sport has become a source of soft power for states around the world, this book is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the politics of sport, sport business and management, sport for development, event studies or the relationships between sport and wider society.

Nikolay Kozhanov is a Research Associate Professor at the Gulf Studies Center of Qatar University, Qatar. His research interests are focused on the geopolitics of the Gulf hydrocarbons, Russian foreign policy in the Middle East and Iran’s economy and international relations.

Mahfoud Amara is an Associate Professor in Sport, Social Sciences and Management in the Physical Education and Sport Science Department, College of Education at Qatar University, Qatar. Dr Amara’s work focuses on sport, business, culture, politics and society in the MENA region, and sport, cultural diversity and Muslim communities in the West.

Mahjoob Zweiri is a Professor in Contemporary Politics and History of the Middle East, with a focus on Iran and Gulf region, and the former Director of Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University. Professor Zweiri has more than 90 publications in the areas of Iran and Contemporary Middle East History and Politics, Gulf Studies and Social Sciences.