FIFA World Cup 2022™: A Case for InterCivilizational Dialogue and Understanding

Peer-reviewed journal article · Published (2024)

Complete citation

Senad Mrahorović and Emin Poljarević. “FIFA World Cup 2022™: A Case for InterCivilizational Dialogue and Understanding.” Journal of Alliance of Civilizations 4 (2024): 29–57.

Publication status and type

Published (2024); peer-reviewed journal article.

Overview

This co-authored article examines the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as a setting in which visitors, host communities, and global audiences encountered competing interpretations of Muslim societies. It asks whether an international sporting event can support intercivilisational understanding by creating shared public spaces and opportunities for direct cultural encounter. The discussion considers hospitality, religious visibility, public behaviour, and the tensions between dominant media narratives and experiences within the host society. Rather than assuming that contact automatically produces mutual understanding, the article considers both the possibilities and limitations of dialogue in a highly politicised global event. Its contribution is to locate intercivilisational exchange in concrete social practices and public settings, connecting debates about Muslim representation, cultural difference, and international engagement.

Research question or central concern

Under what conditions can an international sporting event hosted in a Muslim-majority society create meaningful intercivilisational dialogue and challenge established cultural stereotypes?

Main argument, approach, and contribution

The article treats the Qatar World Cup as a case study in intercivilisational encounter, focusing on public space, hospitality, religious visibility, and competing narratives about Muslim societies. It contributes a grounded account of both the opportunities and limitations of dialogue through international sport.

Keywords

Qatar; FIFA World Cup; intercivilisational dialogue; public space; Muslim societies; cultural encounter.