The University of East Anglia is pleased to announce that a one-day symposium dedicated to discussing the controversial history of the FIFA World Cup, in advance of the 2026 edition of the men’s tournament, will be organised by postgraduate students from the Graduate School of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The event will be held on Friday March 27th, 2026.
As one of the largest, most important sporting events in the world, football’s World Cup has a complicated history. It has transformed from a small 13-team event into a commercial enterprise. As an event hosted by countries run by regimes across the political spectrum, it has become a platform for overt expressions of political ideologies and nationalism, led to deaths and impacted civil wars. And seen its organising body, FIFA, marred with corruption scandals. And now, the men’s event is to be held in the United States at a time of political uncertainty, growing far-right populism, and is will co-host with Canada and Mexico during ongoing agitations with both countries.
The aim of this symposium is to bring researchers together to present on different topics relating to the history of the World Cup to further understand the significance of the tournament in a contemporary setting, and to address and challenge controversies surrounding the modern-day event. Submissions are welcomed from both the UK and further afield.
Keynote Speaker
Keynote SpeakerAlan Tomlinson (Emeritus Prof. of Leisure Studies, University of Brighton). Prof. Tomlinson has been researching the history of FIFA and the politics of sport for the past fifty years. Some of his most noted works include Badfellas (2003, with John Sugden) and FIFA: The Men, the Myths, and the Money (2014).
Abstract Submission
- The event will consist of a series of 15–20-minute presentations from each speaker throughout the day. This will be an in-person only event.
- Abstracts must be 150-200 words in length and must include: a full title, an outline of the topic, existing academic discussion where appropriate, central themes, and the significance of the research.
- Please also include your full name, institution, and email address.
- Presentations can be based on, but not limited to:
- National identity
- Fan culture
- Political resistance
- The Women’s World Cup
- Race
- Gender
- Extremism
- Scandals
- Media coverage
- Spectacle/Commercialism
- Architecture
- Economics
- As a postgraduate-led event, we strongly encourage abstracts from postgraduate and early career researchers, though submissions are welcome from researchers at any stage of their careers.
Please note this is a self-funded event and delegates will need to cover their own accommodation and travel costs. The University is a roughly 20-minute bus journey from the city centre and a 25-minute journey from the train station, and Broadview Lodge provides on-campus accommodation. Submissions must be sent to Arran.Hicks@uea.ac.uk no later than 5pm on Friday, November 21st. A decision will be made on the final programme by Wednesday, December 10th. If you have any queries surrounding the event or submission process, please contact the same email as above.
Contact Information
Arran Hicks, Arran.Hicks@uea.ac.uk
