Thanks to @elconfidencial.bsky.social for interviewing me at length about this matter... Un Mundial troceado con la asistencia de Trump: "Infantino basa su reelección en enriquecer a los miembros de la FIFA" www.elconfidencial.com/deportes/fut...

My latest for Elsevier: Diasporas in football – growing significance, proliferating issues www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Journal of Football Studies | Journal of Team Studies | Journal of Basketball Studies

Is football cannibalising itself? Some words from me for World Football Summit worldfootballsummit.com/resources/in...

Gianni Infantino: "meditate, pray or watch a football match" When this previously happened, we published a paper... “I Feel Qatari Today […] I Feel Disabled Today, […] I Feel Like a Migrant Worker Today…”: On Sport, Leadership, and Moral Legitimacy researchgate.net/publication/...

Disneyfication and geopolitics have taken the World Cup into territory from which there may be no return This year's tournament was a tipping point that has established a precedent for future editions substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

The enshittification of sport For many people, things aren't how they used to be & are becoming even worse substack.com/home/post/p-... Late-stage capitalism & the future of sport Why hot dogs and cola have become more important than history and tradition substack.com/home/post/p-...

Morocco in pole position to stage 2030 World Cup final as Spanish nervousness grows African nation's relationships with Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino are playing to its advantage substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

From Viking celebrations to a tearful goalkeeper, the World Cup had some clear soft power winners Tournament was an opportunity for countries to project attractiveness to global audiences substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

My latest for @forbes.com Money, Geopolitics And Power Dominated The World Cup; Same Again In 2030? www.forbes.com/sites/simonc...

Money, Geopolitics And Power Dominated The World Cup; Same Again In 2030?

The World Cup was widely considered to be the most controversial in history, but it simply continued a recent trend that looks set to continue in 2030 when the tournament heads to six countries

forbes.com

I've always loved this film about the 1994 World Cup in the US. Called "The Kick", it captures the reactions of fans in 40 countries as they settle down to watch the final on TV. Proof, if it is needed, that "there's more that unites us than divides us" www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPXG...

Reactions on 1994 World Cup Final (Brazil - Italy), shot in 40 countries!

YouTube video by Deutsche Fernsehgeschichte

youtube.com

Neither soft nor hard: did meso power just make its World Cup debut? Trump's Balogun intervention opened up a new front in the projection of power in sport substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

Who won the World Cup's city soft power battle? New York and Los Angeles went head-to-head, but lost out to an unlikely rival substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

Latest from @forbes.com Which Team Has Won The Soft Power World Cup? forbes.com/sites/simonc... Latest from #Geosport Who have been the World Cup’s soft power losers? substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social

Why Asian Nations Struggled At The 2026 World Cup Japan went furthest but hit a glass ceiling, Saudi Arabia stumbled at the first hurdle, whilst Iran didn't even stand a chance substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

The Business of the FIFA World Cup (2nd edition) is now available to buy www.routledge.com/The-Business...

The instrumented ball and football's future: Trionda, VAR, and datafication of the World Cup substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social @sufiya.bsky.social #Geosport

The instrumented ball and football's future: Trionda, VAR, and datafication of the World Cup

Dr Seyedeh Khadijeh (Sufiya) Rezatab Azgomi & Professor Simon Chadwick

substack.com

Morocco & the World Cup: "Football's coming home" Country is building the world's biggest football stadium. Government is positioning Morocco as a gateway to Africa. Diaspora communities across the world are being asked to return substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

Morocco and the World Cup: "Football's coming home"

National team success is no accident, as government seeks to project the country's power and influence

substack.com

Geosport shorts: Donald Trump has broken his soccer silence, what does it mean? U.S president said very little during the World Cup's early stages, but now he's back and seemingly more bellicose than ever substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

Brazil fails to deliver the promised brand — again! Much-loved country's World Cup exit betrays the national and international challenges it faces substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

From ambushers to sportswashers, this has been a World Cup full of distractions How the tournament has been used to influence your thoughts and behaviours substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

Folarin Balogun, MAGA and the neoliberalisation of football At a World Cup of dynamic ticket pricing and hydration breaks, deals not rules also now govern red card decisions substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

Morocco and the World Cup: "Football's coming home" National team success is no accident, as government seeks to project the country's power and influence substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

My latest for @forbes.com Why Asian Nations Struggled At The 2026 World Cup www.forbes.com/sites/simonc...

Why Asian Nations Struggled At The 2026 World Cup

Asian nations competing at this summer's World Cup have underwhelmed with their performances, most of them failing to qualify for the knockout phase.

forbes.com

My comments for Arabian Gulf Business Insight PIF’s Newcastle ‘must focus on revenue’ after Uefa sanctions www.agbi.com/business-of-...

PIF's Newcastle 'must focus on revenue' after Uefa sanctions

The Saudi PIF's Newcastle United fell foul of financial sustainability regulations and will have to focus on raising commercial revenue

agbi.com

My latest for Arabian Gulf Business Insight Arabian Gulf Business Insight World Cup exits raise questions for Saudi Arabia and Qatar For all the hype and big-name signing, that money has yet to translate into results on the pitch www.agbi.com/opinion/busi...

World Cup exits raise questions for Saudi Arabia and Qatar

Saudi Arabia and Qatar – the Arabian Gulf's two footballing giants – have failed to produce a return on investment in the World Cup

agbi.com

What World Cup teams, fans and sponsors reveal about nation branding How people feel about countries is being shaped by an array of strategies substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

My latest for @forbes.com From Ambushers to Sportswashers, The World Cup is Full of Distractions www.forbes.com/sites/simonc...

From Ambushers to Sportswashers, The World Cup is Full of Distractions

Distracting people's attention has become a central feature of the World Cup, with sponsors and nations trying to convince people that they are something they are not

forbes.com

Geosport shorts: Where did all the activists go? How the World Cup has become a tournament of silent football substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

How a safe bet football tournament became a seismic geopolitical event Back in 2010, when the U.S. failed to win its 2022 World Cup bid, things were very different substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport

Geosport shorts: The geopolitical economy of Lionel Messi How Argentina's star player embodies the changes that his country and football are going through substack.com/home/post/p-... @paulwiddop.bsky.social #Geosport