Intercultural encounters and nation branding: Cultural insights from the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup

Abstract

Mega sporting events have emerged as influential platforms for cultural diplomacy, soft power expression, and intercultural engagement. Among such events, the FIFA World Cup stands out for its immense global appeal and its capacity to bring together culturally diverse audiences in shared spaces. This article explores the extent to which the 2022 FIFA World Cup, hosted in Qatar, facilitated cultural connections between international visitors, the expatriate population, and the local Qatari community. Through the lens of cultural connectivity and soft power theories, and based on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and visual data from participant-generated content, the study investigates how the tournament shaped perceptions, fostered dialogue, and contributed to long-term intercultural understanding.The findings reveal five interlinked themes: sport as a catalyst for intercultural interaction, embracing diversity within traditional values, the emergence of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) tourism, strategic deployment of soft power, and the cultural legacy of the event. The study underscores the role of the World Cup not only as a sporting spectacle but also as a transformative cultural occasion that redefined international narratives about Qatar and the broader Gulf region. The implications suggest new avenues for destination marketing, intercultural policy planning, and the integration of sports events into sustainable tourism strategies. This article contributes to tourism and sports studies by offering empirical insights from the first FIFA World Cup held in a Muslim-majority, Middle Eastern country.