The political stance of Ibero-American national teams on social media towards Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

This article examines how footballers and coaches from eight Ibero-American national teams communicated about Qatar on Twitter and Instagram during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, focusing on their role in shaping international perceptions amid widespread criticism of Qatar's human rights record, labour conditions, and alleged corruption. Analyzing 2,173 posts, the study found that only 12.66% mentioned Qatar, with the vast majority (268) being neutral and seven positive posts; notably, no negative posts about Qatar appeared. The findings suggest that these participants largely normalized the event through neutral, informative content, aligning with FIFA's directive to avoid political statements and reflecting the diplomatic stances of their respective countries. The study highlights the limited activist role of athletes in this context and calls for further research across other regions to better understand the interplay between athletes' social media activity, sports diplomacy, and political expression during mega-events.