Foreword

By Stanis Elsborg, head of Play the Game

In a candid interview with Fox News in September 2023, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared: “If sportswashing is going to increase my GDP by 1%, then we’ll continue doing sportswashing.”

While it remains unclear whether this approach will truly boost the nation’s economy, one thing is certain: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s spending spree in global sports has shown no signs of slowing down since that interview.

Exclusive research by Play the Game sheds light on the key power players driving Saudi Arabia's expanding sports endeavour. Over a four-month period, our team identified 910 Saudi sponsorships in sport and 1,412 positions held across Saudi entities – focusing exclusively on activities from 2024 onward.

Why this matters

Backed by billions of dollars and a rapidly expanding network of sponsorships, partnerships, and strategic investments, the Kingdom has reshaped the sports world. This expansion, however, is not merely about elevating Saudi Arabia's presence in sport – it is part of a meticulously crafted strategy to transform the Kingdom’s global image and wield sport as a powerful instrument of geopolitical influence.

The lavish sponsorships and major events may appear to elevate the spectacle of sport, but they also obscure troubling realities: conflicts of interest that undermine the integrity of global sport and challenge the very principles it claims to uphold like democracy, transparency, freedom of expression, and athletes' rights.

These issues extend beyond the realm of sport. Behind the glittering facade of major tournaments, sponsorships, and celebrity endorsements is a darker side of severe human rights atrocities, oppression, repression, and, in some cases, death.

Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy seeks to divert attention from these realities, revealing the tension between the ideals of sport and the realities of power, money, and politics. Understanding this strategy is key to grasping what’s truly at stake.

What you’ll discover in this report

This report is more than just numbers. It unpacks the vast and intricate network behind Saudi Arabia’s state-controlled sports strategy, mapping the connections between key figures, state entities, and global sports organisations. It reveals a complex web of influence that raises urgent questions about the governance of international sport and its ability to withstand political and financial pressures.

In these pages, you will find:

• Insightful stories on key figures and state entities shaping Saudi Arabia’s sports ambitions, including their role in relation to the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
• Examples of sponsorships, strategic alliances, and partnerships illustrating the Kingdom’s far-reaching influence.
• Examples of conflicts of interest and governance challenges, including implications related to the 2024 FIFA World Cup.

A call to action

This report is just the beginning. To foster further investigation, Play the Game has made the dataset publicly available on our website. We encourage journalists, academics, researchers, and other stakeholders to build on our findings, pursue their own stories and investigations, as many angles remain unexplored.

Many stories lie beneath the surface of the dataset waiting to be uncovered. Dive into the data, follow the connections, and help shine a light on one of the most consequential sports stories of our time!