It has become a tool in foreign policy

The 2022 World Cup is an opportunity not to be missed to win the "Soft Power" award.

• Argentine player Lionel Messi and his teammates celebrated the victory over France.

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• Macron's consolation to the talented player Kylian Mbappe for losing the World Cup is at the heart of "soft power".

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• The open and cheerful way in which the Morocco team played generated a very large soft power.

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• Japan won a lot of fans at the Qatar World Cup.

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After four weeks, 64 matches, and more than a decade of debate, Argentina won the FIFA World Cup.

The Argentine player, Lionel Messi, and his teammates celebrated the victory over France, another opponent who reached the final, which can be considered a “soft power” battle that is seen as one of the tools of foreign policy, which shapes global perceptions and attitudes using things such as music, fashion, and sports.

Perhaps the best platform for soft power is the World Cup, where 32 countries showcase their ingenuity to billions of people.

During this event, three types of soft power can be observed, namely the "cool" that comes from high levels of performance, and generates feelings of admiration.

And the second, “beautiful,” inspiring hope and a sense of community.

And the third “good” that exists as a result of positive attitudes and altruism.

Using these categories, we have determined the following ranks for the winners of the "Soft Power World Cup".

First winner: France

When France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, its global soft power rating rose.

And in 2022, the performance of the France football team has enhanced the national image and reputation.

The team is the epitome of "cool" soft power, combining style and elegance with fierce competition, projecting a global, diverse and unified image.

One of the players of the team, “which is considered the best in the world at the present time,” was essential in this classification, and he is Kylian Mbappe.

His club, Paris Saint-Germain, is a big part of the story of soft power in France, helping to build its credibility through its carefully crafted mixture of football, fashion and music.

And at the beginning of this year, it is said that French President Emmanuel Macron intervened to persuade Mbappe not to leave Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid, which shows his importance to France.

Macron is well aware of the need for charm, elegance, and confidence in international issues.

When Macron traveled to Doha after France reached the semi-final stage, he met with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Several times, he consoled Mbappe after the loss of the French team.

The second winner: South Korea

South Korea is masters of "inspiring" soft power, as the star of this country continues to rise steadily, as a result of government policy on the one hand, and as a result of the patriotic enthusiasm shown by the private sector as well.

South Korea's first match in the tournament came after its famous singer, Jung Kook, appeared at the tournament's opening ceremony.

This singer performs with the “BTS” group, which achieved great fame, and became a front for what became known as the “Korean Wave” or “K-Wave”, which put the country at the forefront of the world in the field of cinema, television and music.

Cook came along with automaker Hyundai, which signed an agreement with BTS, a major sponsor of FIFA.

South Korea was fortunate that their most important player, Sun Hueng, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, recovered from injury, which brought international recognition to the South Korean team.

As a result of the team's fast-paced style of play, which is met with great enthusiasm by the fans, it was perfectly exploited as a national energy, which turned into a dominant culture in the 21st century.

Third winner: Morocco

Given that their pre-tournament ranking placed them outside the top 20, their history of mediocre performance in major tournaments, and the lack of big names in their squad, expectations for the Morocco team were low.

But the Moroccan team turned in the World Cup tournament in Qatar, to a great victory for Morocco on and off the field.

The cheerful and open way the Morocco team played generated quite a bit of soft power, as did some of the individual players.

The sight of midfielder Sofiane Boufal dancing on the pitch with his mother after the team's victory over Portugal was a compelling work of family and community, resonating with people all over the world.

Many considered the “Atlas Lions” to be their second favorite team.

This was not as evident as it was in the Arab world, as Morocco advanced more than any other team from the Middle East or North Africa.

The general support that Morocco's players gave to Palestine helped bond the team with people across the region.

Fourth winner: Japan

Japan won a lot of fans at the Qatar World Cup.

As was the case in the 2018 World Cup tournament, large numbers of fans came to the Japan team, and once again, they took it upon themselves to clean the stands after the end of the match, which added to their position as champions of a “benign” strength, and the Japanese team also cleaned the changing rooms after matches.

In fact, organizing and cleaning has a history in Japan.

Long before writer, TV presenter, and author of several books on organizing Marie Kondo came onto the scene, decluttering and cleaning up were part of the fabric of Japan's national culture.

Cleaning in Qatar reinforced this popular tradition and harnessed it as a potential soft power.

But the World Cup was not focused on altruism alone, as the Japanese team achieved

Fifth winner: Saudi Arabia

The Green Falcons headed to Qatar as representatives of an important country in their region.

Although the team was knocked out in the group stage, it won many hearts and minds in the football competition.

The Kingdom achieved a lot of fans in the tournament, and their gathering before the start of the matches highlighted that they are impressive.

This was further reinforced by the spread of a video recording on social media, showing a number of the team's supporters dancing, after Saudi Arabia's victory over Argentina, who won this World Cup tournament.

The Qatar tournament showed many Saudi citizens in different and positive situations, as well as their passion for football.

Special mention: Qatar

From the moment Qatar submitted its bid to host the World Cup, Doha sought to show its soft power.

The absence of violent English hooligans, and the lively strolling areas of fans, seems to have succeeded in achieving soft power.

But Qatar may find itself facing a test in how the country will be talked about, and the event it hosted in the coming years.

• Three types of soft power, which is the “cool” that comes from high levels of performance, and generates feelings of admiration.

And the second, “beautiful,” inspiring hope and a sense of community.

And the third “good” that exists as a result of positive attitudes and altruism.

• The World Cup is perhaps the best platform for soft power, with 32 countries showcasing their ingenuity to billions of people.

• Expectations for the Morocco team were low.

However, the Moroccan team turned in the World Cup tournament in Qatar, to a great victory for Morocco on and off the field.

• The Qatar tournament showed many Saudi citizens in different and positive situations, as well as their passion for football.

Simon Chadwick ■ Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economics

Paul Widop ■ Sports Business Researcher - University of Manchester

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