Simon Chadwick is a Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy. Over the last three decades, he has worked extensively with some of the most prominent people and organisations in world football, including clubs, governing bodies, tournament organisers, and sponsors.Paul Widdop is Reader at the University of Manchester, UK. His research explores social and economic networks around the consumption and production of sport. He has published widely in the areas of sport and culture including articles in the Journal of Consumer Culture, Cultural Sociology, Cultural Trends, Electoral Studies, and the Journal of Political Marketing. Widdop serves on the editorial board of several academic journals and is co-founder of the Football Collective, a learned society of academics researching impacts of football on society.Michael M. Goldman is Professor with the Sport Management Program at the University of San Francisco, USA, while also working with the Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa. He works with students, managers, and clients to enhance their abilities to acquire, grow, and retain profitable customers and fans.

• 1. Introduction to the Geopolitical Economy of Football, Part I: Global Issues, 2. The Geopolitical Economy of Football: Dense Networks, Complex Decisions, 3. Will AI Turn the Football World Upside Down?, 4. The Complacent Cheerleader in Football’s Nation Branding Process, 5. Image Laundering, Sport Washing and Greenwashing In and Through Football, 6. Unpacking the Concept of Sportswashing in Elite Men’s Professional Football in England, 7. Athlete Activism in Global Football: Taking the Knee, 8. Environment, Climate Change, and Football, 9. How the Ukraine Conflict Affects Russian Football Clubs: The Hostages of Big Politics, 10. Why is the Business Model of FC Zenit Unclear to Scholars of Sports Management?: Embraced by Gazprom, Part II: Women’s Football, 11. Europe and Geopolitical Influences on Women’s Football Finance, 12. The Paradox of French Women’s Football, 13. Gender Pay Inequality in African Football: A Pale of Two Halves, 14. Exploring the Intersection of Gender and Class in Space: The Case of New Generation Stadiums in Turkey, Part III: Ownership and Investment, 15. The Emergence of Multi Club Ownership, 16. Re-conceptualising Multi Club Ownership in Football; A New Definition and Typology of MCO, 17. The Development, Structure, and Operations of the City Football Group, 18. The Benign, Brilliant, and Beautiful Soft Power of Qatar’s Paris Saint-Germain, 19. Analyzing Unsuccessful Examples of Gulf Ownership and Investment in European Football, 20. Red Bull’s Investment in German Football: A Game Changer for the Bundesliga?, 21. Global Investment and Cultural Traditions, 22. An Overview of the UK Government’s Fan Led Review of Football Governance, 23. The 3P-Model in Global Football: Creating Value by Combining Passion, Profit, and Politics on Multiple Levels, Part IV: The FIFA World Cup and Tournament Football, 24. Polycentric Football Tournaments, 25. A Geopolitical and Economic Analysis of China's Bid for the FIFA World Cup: Going It Alone or Co-hosting, 26. FIFA World Cup 2026, Soccer’s North American Sporting Legacy, 27. The USWNT, Nation Branding, Public Diplomacy and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: U.S. Against the World, 28. The Digital Symbolic Legacy of the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup in Times of ‘Plague’ and War, 29. The FIFA World Cup Television Broadcasting in Africa through Pay-TV: Shifting Flows, 30. Colombia's Failure to Host the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Part V: Business, Society and Culture, 31. Football Consumption, Nostalgia and Soft Power: Definitely Maybe!, 32. The Great Game of Football Diplomacy: Australia Versus Wales, 33. Football, Geopolitics, and Digital Technologies: A Dynamic Nexus Shaping Global Dynamics, 34. The Supranational Competitive Promise of the Three Seas Initiative in Central Europe, 35. Football and Forced Migration: Sicily and The Central Mediterranean Route

Simon Chadwick is a Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy. Over the last three decades, he has worked extensively with some of the most prominent people and organisations in world football, including clubs, governing bodies, tournament organisers, and sponsors.Paul Widdop is Reader at the University of Manchester, UK. His research explores social and economic networks around the consumption and production of sport. He has published widely in the areas of sport and culture including articles in the Journal of Consumer Culture, Cultural Sociology, Cultural Trends, Electoral Studies, and the Journal of Political Marketing. Widdop serves on the editorial board of several academic journals and is co-founder of the Football Collective, a learned society of academics researching impacts of football on society.Michael M. Goldman is Professor with the Sport Management Program at the University of San Francisco, USA, while also working with the Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa. He works with students, managers, and clients to enhance their abilities to acquire, grow, and retain profitable customers and fans.

• 1. Introduction to the Geopolitical Economy of Football, Part I: Global Issues, 2. The Geopolitical Economy of Football: Dense Networks, Complex Decisions, 3. Will AI Turn the Football World Upside Down?, 4. The Complacent Cheerleader in Football’s Nation Branding Process, 5. Image Laundering, Sport Washing and Greenwashing In and Through Football, 6. Unpacking the Concept of Sportswashing in Elite Men’s Professional Football in England, 7. Athlete Activism in Global Football: Taking the Knee, 8. Environment, Climate Change, and Football, 9. How the Ukraine Conflict Affects Russian Football Clubs: The Hostages of Big Politics, 10. Why is the Business Model of FC Zenit Unclear to Scholars of Sports Management?: Embraced by Gazprom, Part II: Women’s Football, 11. Europe and Geopolitical Influences on Women’s Football Finance, 12. The Paradox of French Women’s Football, 13. Gender Pay Inequality in African Football: A Pale of Two Halves, 14. Exploring the Intersection of Gender and Class in Space: The Case of New Generation Stadiums in Turkey, Part III: Ownership and Investment, 15. The Emergence of Multi Club Ownership, 16. Re-conceptualising Multi Club Ownership in Football; A New Definition and Typology of MCO, 17. The Development, Structure, and Operations of the City Football Group, 18. The Benign, Brilliant, and Beautiful Soft Power of Qatar’s Paris Saint-Germain, 19. Analyzing Unsuccessful Examples of Gulf Ownership and Investment in European Football, 20. Red Bull’s Investment in German Football: A Game Changer for the Bundesliga?, 21. Global Investment and Cultural Traditions, 22. An Overview of the UK Government’s Fan Led Review of Football Governance, 23. The 3P-Model in Global Football: Creating Value by Combining Passion, Profit, and Politics on Multiple Levels, Part IV: The FIFA World Cup and Tournament Football, 24. Polycentric Football Tournaments, 25. A Geopolitical and Economic Analysis of China's Bid for the FIFA World Cup: Going It Alone or Co-hosting, 26. FIFA World Cup 2026, Soccer’s North American Sporting Legacy, 27. The USWNT, Nation Branding, Public Diplomacy and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: U.S. Against the World, 28. The Digital Symbolic Legacy of the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup in Times of ‘Plague’ and War, 29. The FIFA World Cup Television Broadcasting in Africa through Pay-TV: Shifting Flows, 30. Colombia's Failure to Host the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Part V: Business, Society and Culture, 31. Football Consumption, Nostalgia and Soft Power: Definitely Maybe!, 32. The Great Game of Football Diplomacy: Australia Versus Wales, 33. Football, Geopolitics, and Digital Technologies: A Dynamic Nexus Shaping Global Dynamics, 34. The Supranational Competitive Promise of the Three Seas Initiative in Central Europe, 35. Football and Forced Migration: Sicily and The Central Mediterranean Route