Chapter 9: Beyond the Fancy Headlines: A Bibliometric Exploration of FIFA 2022 Influence on the Middle East

Qatar hosted the men’s FIFA 2022 World Cup, which marks a considerable stride for the entire Middle East and potentially paving the way toward various outcomes. The area still faces many challenges and hurdles. The present environment in the Middle East suggests that underlying complexities persist beyond the fancy headlines, necessitating a deeper exploration. This study endeavors to bridge this gap by analyzing existing literature on the FIFA 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar sourced from Scopus. The study aims to uncover the existing patterns, challenges, opportunities, and future direction for the researchers and other stakeholders. The research encompasses a qualitative review through various tools to unveil the complex dynamics, attitudes, impediments, and opportunities surrounding sports participation across the Middle East. The outcome highlighted the significance of hosting such mega sports events for hosting economies and regions. Furthermore, this study’s results highlighted that studies around the FIFA 2022 men’s World Cup are primarily driven by initiatives backed by Qatari researchers, which regional and international researchers should expand. Sentiment analysis further reveals that most past researchers observed the event from a negative lens. Meanwhile, age, theoretical frameworks employed, and the open availability of articles are key determinants of increased visibility of the topic. Overall, the review not only sheds light on the current state of literature concerning the FIFA 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar but also identifies the key research gaps and emerging directions.