From 2010 to 2022 and beyond: nation branding legacies from sport mega-events

Sport mega-events can be powerful agents in the imaging, re-imaging, and branding of places, particularly for emerging mega-event host nations. South Africa, the first African country to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010, is regarded as a good example of how nation-branding opportunities were leveraged to showcase its global engagement, re-emergence post-apartheid, and its competence as a tourism and mega-event host. Similarly, Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is a region-first. Hosting the World Cup is consistent with Qatar’s strategic leveraging of sport to build a new image, acquire global recognition as a world-class venue for major events, sport sponsorships, and state-of-the-art stadiums. This paper compares nation-brand perceptions collected from visitors to the respective mega-events, utilizing the same questionnaire. The findings reveal how visitor perceptions changed, resulting in anticipated behaviour changes. It reveals nuances in profiling mega-event sport tourists and contrasts expected nation-branding legacies for host nations.