Sportswashing and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

The trend of non-democratic regimes hosting major sports events to enhance their international visibility and soft power is growing, sparking debates about the potential for "sportswashing." The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, hosted by an authoritarian regime, put the country's human rights situation in the spotlight. This study examines whether such efforts are effective by investigating audience responses in eight European democratic countries through a framing experiment with over 14,500 respondents. We find that issue framing has a significant impact on respondents' perceptions of Qatar as a host, with critical statements leading to negative views and positive statements generating positive responses. Strong effect heterogeneity between countries highlights the relevance of the national information environment for the mediatization of major sports events. These findings have implications for the awarding of future events to non-democratic regimes and the international system, as they suggest that critical media coverage could potentially undermine attempts at sportswashing.