Juan Antonio Simón is Lecturer in Sports History at Polytechnic University of Madrid-INEF, where his research focuses on the history of sport in Spain, the links between football and international relations, and the history of mega sports events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

• Introduction 1. The Sporting Structure of Franco's Regime and the Role of Football 2. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic Use of Football 3. The Civil War and the New Football Diplomacy, 1937–1945 4. From Isolationism and Autarchy to Francoist Consolidation, 1945–1959 5. Real Madrid, Ambassador of Franco's Regime 6. The 1960s and the Transformation of the Diplomatic Use of Football, 1960–1975 Conclusion

Juan Antonio Simón is Lecturer in Sports History at Polytechnic University of Madrid-INEF, where his research focuses on the history of sport in Spain, the links between football and international relations, and the history of mega sports events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

• Introduction 1. The Sporting Structure of Franco's Regime and the Role of Football 2. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic Use of Football 3. The Civil War and the New Football Diplomacy, 1937–1945 4. From Isolationism and Autarchy to Francoist Consolidation, 1945–1959 5. Real Madrid, Ambassador of Franco's Regime 6. The 1960s and the Transformation of the Diplomatic Use of Football, 1960–1975 Conclusion