Football tourism legacies of mega-events: a systematic literature review on sustainable development goals

Football tourism within mega-events is a key driver of destination development and legacy creation Oliveira, J. R. de, Tobar, F. B., [Tobar, F., & Ramshaw, G. (2022). ‘Welcome to the EPL’: Analysing football tourism in the English Premier League. Soccer and Society, 23(4–5), 432–450. However, legacies’ relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains insufficiently understood. The SDGs comprise 17 goals, positioning sustainability as a balance between social, economic, and environmental dimensions United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. This study identifies tourism legacy forms, examines how sustainability is addressed, and interprets their relationship with the SDGs. A systematic literature review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines Page, M. J., Moher, D., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S. … McKenzie, J. E. (2021). PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration: Updated guidance and exemplars for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n160. Eight peer-reviewed articles (2015-2025) were analysed via deductive thematic synthesis, applying Preuss’s 2015. A framework for identifying the legacies of a mega sport event. Leisure Studies, 34(6), 643–664 legacy framework and the SDGs as an interpretative lens. Findings reveal that ten of the 17 SDGs are represented, with explicit, implicit, and conceptual levels of discussion. SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) are discussed consistently, whereas the environmental dimension remains limited. SDG 13 (Climate Action) shows a strong, explicit relationship, yet reveals a paradox between emission reduction commitments and travel-related emissions. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) shows a moderate relationship, while SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) are addressed implicitly. The primary gap lies not in the absence of sustainability discourse, but in the limited use of the SDGs as a systematic, empirically grounded framework for evaluating tourism legacy. Future research should strengthen empirical measurement within the environmental dimension.