Qualitative narrative study reveals how transnational ties and local networks shape football fandom among West Asian migrant women in Sweden, highlighting nuanced pathways to belonging.
While research on football fandom has expanded in recent years, the experiences of migrant and minoritised women within European supporter cultures remain underexplored. This study examines the experiences of four women with West Asian backgrounds living in Sweden who identify as football fans. Drawing on transnational feminism and Yuval-Davis’ conceptualisation of belonging, the article explores how football fandom is experienced across migration contexts. Using a narrative approach based on four semi-structured interviews, the analysis foregrounds participants’ accounts of their relationships with football, supporter cultures, and migration. The findings highlight diverse pathways into fandom, including family influence, digital fan communities, and engagement with global football cultures. While emotional attachments to teams remain strong, engagement with Swedish football is shaped by contextual factors such as social networks, familiarity, and the visibility of football culture.
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Eskandari et al. (2026) studied this question.
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