Sport diplomacy and soft power through Qatar's FIFA world cup 2022: A case of generation amazing

Recently, there has been a proliferation of nations classified as emerging economies positioning themselves to bid for sports mega-events (SMEs) and subsequently host SMEs. This chapter focuses on the State of Qatar as a new actor using sport as part of its public diplomacy and soft power aspirations. The chapter positions Generation Amazing Foundation (GAF), a legacy program of the FIFA Men’s World Cup Qatar 2022TM as part of state’s sport diplomacy and wider foreign policy toolkit. The authors acknowledge that as a small nation, Qatar has used its unique natural resources to cave itself a key role in the Middle Eastern region and beyond as a peacemaker. Part of the peacemaker role within the region has consisted of GAF’s role in humanitarian actions during times of political crises within the region. The chapter draws upon the GAF’s interactions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the state provided support toward the Afghanistan crisis. The authors conclude that the privileged position to host the first Arab region FIFA mega-event provided a unique opportunity that was leveraged not only within the region but also globally as the small state increases its visibility through the FIFA Men’s World Cup Qatar 2022TM.