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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sociol.
Sec. Sociological Theory
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2025.1521396
This article is part of the Research Topic Promoting Inclusion and Representation: The Role of Cultural Diversity in Sports View all 12 articles
Sustainable Strategic Nation Branding Through Sports: Leveraging Soft Power via Mega-Event Hosting
Provisionally accepted- 1 Australian University - Kuwait, West Mishref, Kuwait
- 2 American University of Kuwait, Safat, Kuwait
- 3 Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- 4 Gulf University for Science and Technology, Mishref District, Kuwait
This study examines the strategic management of nation branding from a soft power perspective, focusing on Qatar's use of sports mega-events to enhance its global image. In contrast to hard power, soft power, in the realm of national or public diplomacy, refers to using cooperation rather than coercion to influence the impressions and preferences of others. Using document analysis and semistructured interviews, we investigate how global sports serve as a unique soft power vehicle for nation branding, building the attraction and appeal of a nation. Our research highlights the efforts by the government of Qatar to leverage sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup, to boost international visibility, enhance cultural exchange, and attract tourism and investments. Our findings deepen insights into how nations can strategically and sustainably use globally known and popular sports to cultivate soft power, heighten national pride, and project a positive identity on the world stage. We contribute to the literature on soft power by developing a systematic conceptual framework for understanding how mega-sports events can be strategically managed to support nation branding and public diplomacy.
Keywords: Soft-power, sustainable nation branding, strategic management, Sports events, Qatar, international relations
Received: 01 Nov 2024; Accepted: 20 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 El-Dabt, AlReshaid, Park, Albuloushi and Al-Enzi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Faisal AlReshaid, American University of Kuwait, Safat, Kuwait
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