Fans’ experiences attempting to boycott the 2022 Qatar World Cup

Many fans planned to boycott the 2022 Qatar World Cup due to the associated human rights violations that conflicted with their personal values. This study examined how fans integrated and maintained their personal values when they conflicted with their fandom, building on past research primarily focused on complementary identities. Using an interpretive case study methodology grounded in self-categorization and self-representation theory, we examined the experiences of 11 identified national team fans who planned to boycott the Qatar World Cup through diary entries and semi-structured interviews. We found that despite boycotters’ initial moral enhancement, social interactions undermined this evaluation and introduced uncertainty and alienation. This led participants to conceal their boycott from most people and selectively disclose it to close friends and family. This study highlights the importance of personal values in shaping fan behaviour and demonstrates how social contexts influence the self-expression and maintenance of personal values within fandom.