Football diplomacy and nation branding: Decoding the dynamic relationship
Football diplomacy has become a powerful tool for enhancing nation branding. But what are these constructs, and how are they effectively synergised and deployed to showcase nations on the world stage?
What is nation branding?
Nation branding, also known as country branding, involves shaping and promoting a nation's image and reputation on the global stage. It includes strategic efforts by governments and other actors to convey a distinct, compelling identity for a country, its constituent cities, or regions. This is achieved by focusing on the promotion of the nation’s unique cultural heritage, values, strengths, economies, and positive contributions to the world (Anholt, 2023).
As an illustrative example, a "Visit Jamaica" campaign might showcase the Caribbean nation’s stunning coastline, vibrant culture, reggae music, and legendary sports stars such as Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Courtney Walsh to attract tourists and investment and promote a positive image of the country on the global stage.
Nation branding is often closely related to and synergised with various other well-established disciplines, such as soft power, international trade, major events, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, and specialised areas like city diplomacy, gastrodiplomacy, education diplomacy, science diplomacy, and music diplomacy. The complex nature of these relationships is too intricate to cover in an article of this type. However, they will all be featured over time as the content on Sports Diplomacy Unwrapped evolves.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a valuable resource for those seeking to delve deeper into the concept of nation branding and its intricate connections with many of these inherently related fields, including sports (diplomacy).
Nation branding and sports (diplomacy)
Before we explore examples of specific connections between football (diplomacy) and nation branding, it's important to acknowledge that there is already significant research on the relationship between broader sports (diplomacy) and nation branding. To learn more about this topic, a good starting point is Yoav Dubinsky’s excellent book, "Nation Branding and Sports Diplomacy: Country Image Games in Times of Change.”
Yoav’s analysis critically discusses the role of sport in nation branding and public diplomacy during the years 2020 and 2022, when the world was experiencing a global pandemic and health, economic, social, and political crises. It argues that the use of sports for nation branding and public diplomacy goals is not new, but the changes the world underwent required nations, places, communities, and individuals to modify and adapt how they use sports for country image purposes.
How does football (diplomacy) intersect with nation branding?
Football is indeed more than just a game; it's an enormous international mega-industry and movement with an estimated fanbase of around five billion people (FIFA 2023). This gives it the scale and clout to significantly influence nation branding at a global level. The beautiful game can evoke strong emotions and national pride, making it an influential tool for shaping perceptions of a country. The relationship between football and nation branding is complex, multifaceted, and deeply rooted in a nation's cultural and social fabric. The following examples are far from exhaustive and are intended to provide readers with an introductory feel for this dynamic area.
First and foremost, football can serve as a powerful vehicle for projecting a nation's image to the world. Major international tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships provide countries with a global platform to showcase their unique cultural heritage, traditions, values and commercial value proposition. Through these high-profile events, nations can leverage the universal appeal of football to captivate international audiences and communicate a compelling narrative about their identity.
During the recent FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, hosted by Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand, both nations made considerable efforts to showcase their indigenous cultures and take a concrete step forward in reconciliation with their First Nations peoples. The tournament logo did not feature a marsupial as many international commentators perhaps naively anticipated but instead displayed an array of 32 squares designed in the style of Māori and Indigenous Australian art. In all host cities, signage was displayed in English with translations into te reo Māori (New Zealand) and the diversity of First Nations languages (Australia). Similarly, the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Finals draw included an official Māori welcome, and all significant activities throughout the tournament incorporated cultural elements to highlight the contributions of all First Nations and Tangata Whenua communities in football.
In a similar approach to the cultural nation branding used Down Under at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, several other independent football nations have also chosen to use their indigenous names instead of the anglicised versions in sports, as well as in broader political, diplomatic, and social contexts. For instance, within the UEFA confederation, Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Wales have opted to more prominently represent themselves using their native language names.
Therefore, in tournament draws, standings tables, scoreboards, and related marketing materials, the official references are more likely to be Türkiye (Turkey), Czechia (Czech Republic), and Cymru (Wales). Some nations are working towards standardising and formalising these naming conventions across all international sports. Turkey has taken a further step, with the "Republic of Türkiye" being the official protocol to be used by its partner nations in all formal and diplomatic contexts.
From a marketing or branding perspective, these examples show how football offers nations strategic differentiation on the world stage and demonstrates an air of confidence in their own cultural nationhood, languages, and heritage.
Secondly, the passionate support of football fans can greatly impact how a nation is viewed. The electric atmosphere in stadiums, the colorful displays of national flags and symbols, and the uplifting chants and songs of supporters all help to create a distinct national identity. When approached in an inclusive and positive way, the atmosphere generated by fans represent the pride and unity that define a nation, leaving a lasting impression on observers and spectators both at home and abroad.
For instance, during the Women’s EURO 2017 tournament hosted by the Netherlands and EURO 2024 in Germany, Dutch fans became viral sensations on social media thanks to a dance tune with two simple instructions. Set to the song "Links Rechts" ("Left Right") by "Snollebollekes," thousands of orange-clad football fans joined in, and it became the unofficial anthem of the Dutch national team. Videos of fans dancing in large numbers before matches captured global attention and spread excitement worldwide.
The song is simple yet engaging; fans eagerly follow the catchy chorus. As the music plays, fans link arms and jump to the left, then switch directions and jump to the right. When executed by thousands of fans decked in national colours, this routine creates a spectacular sight and reflects the Netherlands' outward image as a progressive, and fun-loving nation.
Similarly, social media has been intermittently filled with praise for the a cappella performance of the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers), by Wales-Cymru fans in and around international football matches. Clips of the anthem’s renditions often go viral around match days and enable the small nation to leverage an incredible platform to showcase its unique, ancient language and culture on the world stage.
In essence, the Dutch and Welsh examples effectively demonstrate how cultural diplomacy, music diplomacy, social media, and on the ground people-to-people engagement at sports events intersect to organically enhance a nation's brand and profile through football culture.
Thirdly, when deployed positively, football has the potential to transcend political, cultural, and linguistic barriers, fostering connections and mutual understanding between nations. The universal language of football enables countries to engage in friendly competition on the pitch, promoting goodwill and camaraderie among nations. Friendly matches, international tournaments, and constructive exchanges between football federations provide opportunities for countries to build bridges, strengthen diplomatic ties, and promote cultural exchange, thus nurturing positive perceptions and relationships between nations.
For example, Iraq has recently used football diplomacy in a bid to improve its challenging relations with neighboring Arab Gulf states after years of conflict and strained ties. Last year, it hosted the Gulf Cup in Basra for the first time since 1979, marking a notable step in regional reintegration. This month, incredibly, Iraq played its first game against Kuwait in Kuwait since former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded the Emirate 34 years ago. Yousif Faal, spokesperson for the Iraqi Football Federation, expressed hope that the intense rivalry, once considered the most volatile in the Arab world, would stay confined to the football field. He emphasized, "It's a sporting competition, and we should not bring politics into this" (US News, 2024).
Sadly, the historic match was overshadowed by the mass resignation of the Kuwait Football Association board due to “chaotic incidents”. The Football Association initiated an investigation after fans faced difficulties, such as a shortage of water and incidents of fainting in 40°C temperatures while waiting to attend the match at the 60,000-capacity Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Tuesday (BBC, 2024).
Nevertheless, Iraq’s efforts demonstrate that football diplomacy can encourage and facilitate dialogue between historically estranged peoples and offer a portal to present a nation in a more positive light within its regional neighborhood.
Finally, it is important to note that the relationship between football and nation branding can have negative consequences, as demonstrated by the disturbing events in Kuwait. While successful football performances and activities can enhance a nation's image, poor performance or controversies surrounding a national football team or major competition can damage its reputation. Additionally, the intense competition in football can often lead to strong emotions, resulting in occasional unhealthy rivalries. This can inadvertently create negative perceptions or stereotypes about specific countries and regions and, in some cases, lead to violence, conflict, or animosity.
For instance, the mass rioting by England fans at London’s Wembley Stadium before and during the EURO 2020 final between England and Italy cast a dark shadow on the host nation’s public image and brand, manifesting a form of organic football-related anti-diplomacy. Despite this incident, English football, especially the flagship Premier League competition, remains one of the UK’s most valuable soft power assets and has an extensive global fan base, multinational business interests, and sponsors. This suggests that, as a general rule, the positive aspects of football's association with nation branding tend to outweigh the negative aspects in most circumstances.
Conclusion
The impact of football (diplomacy) on nation branding is undeniable. The sport serves as a powerful force in shaping the global image and perception of nations, regions, and cities. It inspires national pride, fosters international connections, boosts cultural nationhood and drives economic impact. Football continues to be a potent tool for nations looking to cultivate a positive, compelling, or unique brand identity on the world stage. As the enduring popularity of football continues to captivate audiences worldwide, its role in nation branding will remain a significant and constantly evolving phenomenon.
Please note that this article intentionally does not include examples that directly discuss the connections between nation branding and football (diplomacy) with international trade, tourism, human rights, athlete activism, or international security. These topics, along with case studies of individual countries and activities of non-state sporting and civil society actors, will be covered in future articles on Sports Diplomacy Unwrapped.
I would warmly welcome any comments, thoughts, and insights connected to this article or your own examples of the intersection between football diplomacy and nation branding in the comments section, substack notes, and wider social media. I look forward in anticipation to sharing infomation and ideas.
Thank you - diolch yn fawr.
Hi - thanks so much for the great comment and feedback! 👍🙏
I’ll update the article to include this critical point and apologise for the oversight. I'm very happy you made this important point. I went to a few games at the last Women’s Euros, including the final, and maybe I should have known better about the Dutch song!
Anyone who knows me well will tell you I'm a big supporter of women’s football (well football! 👍) and women in football, wider sport and leadership including women’s football diplomacy, which is a phenomenal force for good already but I think will become a ‘juggernaught’!
I'll get to a piece specifically on women’s sports diplomacy (planned already) in due course so if you’d like to see any specific examples or points included please drop me a line - I would love to get your insights 👍.
I just need to work out how and if the edit function works now 😂😂👍 - newbie to substack!
Have a great day, cheers - Gav
thanks for these interesting thoughts Gavin. I look forward to reading more.
One comment - it's really perplexing to hear that people think the Dutch left-right song began with the Men's Euros. It was on fire during the Women's Euros in 2017 in the Nederlands ... which the Dutch team actually won under Sarina Weigman. The players danced it on the field after the Final, and thousands danced it in the streets. And yes - it was all over social media then too. It's perplexing to see women's history forgotten so quickly.
Ensuring inclusion of women in diplomatic circles (sports or otherwise) creates enormous value, to ensure that solutions fit the whole population. I'm sure I read a study where negotiated international solutions (eg for peace) are more robust and long-lasting when women are at the table. Given women's exclusion from both football and diplomacy over decades (actually, centuries), I feel that it's really important to expand our thinking to include all genders now.