The ultimate “global” sport, football – or as the Americans call it, soccer – is adored by billions of fans. But beyond the star players, dazzling trophies, and all-star leagues, global football has become a political mecca. With growing Middle Eastern investments into the Big 5 European Leagues, controversies around the 2022 Qatar World Cup and the 2026 North American World Cup, and the rising popularity of women’s football, global football is political at its core. What will the legacy of the 2022 and 2026 World Cups be? What impact has growing Middle Eastern investment in professional football left on the players, fans, and sport? What are the challenges and opportunities faced by women in football?

Joining the student-led International Policy Program to investigate the politics behind global football are Stanis Elsborg, the head of Play the Game, and Steven Goff, Football Reporter at the Washington Post. Stanis Elsborg, the 2022 recipient of the Gerlev Award, heads Play the Game, an initiative promoting democracy, transparency, and freedom of expression in world sport. He previously authored Play the Game’s research project, “Saudi Arabia’s grip on world sport,” investigating the growing Saudi investments into global football. Steven Goff has covered soccer for The Washington Post since the early 1990s, covering every World Cup since 1994 and reporting on CONCACAF games between the United States, Canada, and Mexico in particular.

The event will be in-person in the IOP Living Room, with Mr. Elsborg and Mr. Goff joining us over Zoom, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian lunch options will be provided.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact iopevents@uchicago.edu.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

11:30 a.m. CST

Institute of Politics