Beyond Western Soft Power: The Emergence of Global South Sports Diplomacy

Sports diplomacy has long been framed through Western models of soft power, spectacle and donor-driven development. The Global South was often positioned as the venue, not the author.

That is changing.

This piece explores how countries such as Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are using sport not simply for visibility, but to shape narratives, build regional coalitions and recalibrate how legitimacy and influence are constructed in an increasingly multipolar order.