Special Issue Editor
Jan Andre Lee Ludvigsen, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Politics with Sociology, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
J.A.Ludvigsen@ljmu.ac.uk
In the summer of 2028, the football world will look towards the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland who will co-host one of the most significant football tournaments worldwide: the UEFA Euro 2028 in men’s football. In June and July 2028, the tournament’s fixtures will be staged in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. As players, supporters, journalists and pundits, broadcasters and local communities prepare for the prestigious event, it also serves as an important moment for scholars to situate Euro 2028 in historical and current contexts, whilst also capturing this football mega-event’s significance locally, nationally and globally – beyond the borders of Europe.
As the literature demonstrates, each edition of the European Championships in football opens up a series of important, pressing questions and public debates speaking on the cultural, political, social and economic aspects of the event. Euro 2028 will be no exception as illustrated by the event bid that expressed visions of political cooperation and unity. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to collectively add to these broad debates, and both askand answer these pressing questions through original articles that explore various facets of Euro 2028 in a pre-event context by looking forward, but also back in order to utilize lessons from the past.
Overall, this Special Issue will take a broad-minded and holistic approach to Euro 2028. It welcomes contributions from researchers situated in different academic fields, including, for example, sociology, international relations, history, media and communication, sport management, urban geography and more. As situated in a pre-event setting, the types of papers that are encouraged include not only original research articles, but also shorter commentaries or discussion pieces, case studies or review articles.
Submissions relating to (but not limited to) the below topics are highly encouraged and welcomed:
- The envisioned or anticipated legacies of Euro 2028
- The economic, social and policy impacts of Euro 2028
- Current and historical analyses of football fan cultures in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
- Rhetoric and discourses in the event bidding and build-up (e.g., in relation to sustainability or human rights)
- Soft power, sportswashing and cultural diplomacy
- The digital consumption of the European Championships beyond Europe
- The interactions between the host countries and UEFA
- The regulation and policing of football stadiums, spaces and crowds
- Comparisons with earlier European Championships or other mega-events
- The pre-event expectations of coaches, players, stakeholders, local residents, communities etc.
- Host city-specific case studies
- Protests and public opposition to the event
- The politics of joint bids/ co-hosting mega-events
- The tournament as a driver (or not) of Europeanization processes
- Future research agendas and appraisals of the existing literature on the ‘Euros’
Submission Instructions
Submissions must follow Soccer & Society’s submission guidelines and will undergo a rigorous peer-review process. Papers should be maximum 8000 words including notes and references, abstract and key words.
Expressions of interests, ideas or abstracts can be submitted to Jan Andre Lee Ludvigsen (J.A.ludvigsen@ljmu.ac.uk) by 1 September 2025. The guest editor will then communicate their decision and invite successful authors to submit a full manuscript.
Anticipated timeline
- Abstract submission deadline: 1 September 2025
- Intimation to authors of selected abstracts – 30 September 2025
- Submission of full manuscript: 1 March 2026
- Authors to be given a decision on their manuscript: 30 April 2026
- Submission of final drafts by the authors: 30 June 2026
- Online first publication of articles: late 2026/ early 2027
- Publication of full special issue: mid 2027
All communications are to be sent to J.A.ludvigsen@ljmu.ac.uk
