Paul Michael Brannagan is Reader in Sport Policy and Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. His research focuses on the political role of sport and major sporting events in national policy contexts, and international relations. He is one of the foremost scholars on sport and soft power, having published extensively on the topic. Paul has regularly provided expert comment on the politics of sport to numerous major media networks, including The Sunday Times, BBC World Service, Sky News, The Guardian, and the New York Times. Jonathan Grix is Professor of Sport Politics and Policy and Head of the Sport Policy Unit in the Business and Law Faculty at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is a global leader in the field of sport and politics having published widely on sport politics, sports policy, and soft power and sports mega-events. Jonathan is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. Danyel Reiche is Associate Professor in the Department of Government and Society at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). He was previously a Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, where he led a research initiative on the FIFA World Cup 2022. For the Journal of Arabian Studies, he edited a special issue on Qatar’s World Cup goals, and for Soccer & Society, he co-edited a special issue on FIFA’s North American World Cup. Danyel also chairs the Political Studies Association (PSA) Sport and Politics Group.