Soft power, Arab media and Sports Mega Events: coverage of FIFA 2022 and lessons for future Arab hosting
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Sport mega-events (SMEs) increasingly transcend athletic competition, functioning as strategic instruments for national identity formation, statecraft, and soft power projection. This dynamic is particularly pronounced in the Gulf, where Qatar’s successful hosting reignited regional rivalries and attracted unprecedented global scrutiny. While existing scholars have extensively examined Western media portrayals of SMEs, a notable gap remains for academic engagement with Gulf media. Dismissed as state-controlled and analytically lacking, we contend that such media offer a rich site for exploring how small states use media as soft power, to construct and contest legitimacy, identity, and global influence. This analysis suggests how state-aligned Arab media is not a passive instrument of state rhetoric, but strategic communicative arenas where legitimacy, modernity, and cultural pride are actively constructed. As Morocco and Saudi Arabia prepare to host FIFA World Cups, understanding the strategic use of regional media becomes increasingly relevant.
Source: Sport in Society
Authors: Lynne Kennedy, Maaira Shahbaz, Ala Al Rajabi
Institutions: Zayed University, Qatar University
Language: English
Topic: Sport and Mega-Event Impacts
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: Qatar National Library
OpenAlex ID: W7162102671