The 2034 FIFA World cup and Saudi Arabia's destination brand: the role of sports marketing and national image

Consequential sports-marketing event in the Kingdom's history and a pivotal test of its Vision 2030 destination-branding strategy. This paper examines the role of sports marketing in shaping Saudi Arabia's national image and destination brand equity in the build-up to 2034, situating the tournament within a broader portfolio of sports investments the Saudi Pro League's international recruitment drive, LIV Golf, Formula 1, boxing, the Esports World Cup, and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Drawing on nation-branding theory, destination-image theory, and the soft-power literature, the paper develops an integrative conceptual framework linking sports-marketing antecedents to national image formation, destination brand equity, and downstream tourism, investment, and reputational outcomes. Using a document- and secondary-data-based analytical approach, the study synthesises Vision 2030 tourism statistics, FIFA World Cup 2034 bid documentation, and comparative evidence from Qatar 2022, Russia 2018, and the 2026 North American World Cup to evaluate the opportunities and risks the tournament poses for Saudi Arabia's global image. The findings indicate that mega-event hosting can accelerate destination brand awareness and visitor growth as evidenced by the Kingdom's rise to 122 million annual visitors in 2025 and 29th place in the World Economic Forum's 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index but that brand equity gains are contingent on addressing persistent reputational frictions around human rights, sport swashing narratives, and state-linked sponsorship controversy. The paper concludes that sports marketing functions as a necessary but not sufficient condition for durable destination branding, and it offers a research agenda and policy recommendations for maximizing the 2034 World Cup's nation-branding legacy.