From signing Brazilian World Cup captain Roberto Rivelino back in 1978 to bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most globally recognized athletes of the modern era, in 2023, Saudi Arabia has steadily expanded its influence in world football. How did the kingdom reach this point, and can it transform itself into a lasting center of power in the global game?
On April 29, fellow Kristian Coates Ulrichsen presented his new book, “Kingdom of Football: Saudi Arabia and the Remaking of World Soccer” (Hurst, 2025). Writing as both a soccer fan and a Gulf specialist, Dr. Ulrichsen placed Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a football hub in a historical and comparative context. He traced earlier Saudi investments in the 1970s and examined parallel efforts in the United States, Japan and China to elevate the sport nationally.
Moving beyond popular media labels such as “sportswashing,” “Kingdom of Football” analyzes the domestic, economic and foreign policy drivers behind Saudi Arabia’s turn to football. The book also compares Riyadh’s strategy with those pursued by other Gulf States, such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Ulrichsen concludes by assessing the sustainability of the kingdom’s engagement with the sport as it prepares to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Dr. Ulrichsen was joined in conversation by A.Kadir Yildirim. The event concluded with a book signing.
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Agenda
5:30 pm CDT — Reception
6:00 pm CDT — Introduction
6:05 pm CDT — Remarks by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
6:35 pm CDT — Moderated Discussion
7:00 pm CDT — Q&A Session
7:20 pm CDT — Book Signing
Participants
Moderator
A.Kadir Yildirim, Ph.D.
Nonresident Fellow, Baker Institute for Public Policy
Featured Speaker
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Ph.D., is a fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute and co-director of the Middle East Energy Roundtable. His research examines the changing position of Persian Gulf states in the global order, as well as the emergence of longer-term, nonmilitary challenges to regional security. Previously, he worked as senior Gulf analyst at the Gulf Center for Strategic Studies and as co-director of the Kuwait Program on Development, Governance and Globalization in the Gulf States at the London School of Economics.
Coates Ulrichsen has published extensively on the Gulf. His books include “Insecure Gulf: The End of Certainty and the Transition to the Post-Oil Era” (Hurst & Co., 2011), “The Gulf States in International Political Economy” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), “The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics, and Policymaking” (Routledge, 2016), and “Qatar and the Gulf Crisis” (Oxford University Press, 2020), and, most recently, “Centers of Power in the Arab Gulf States” (Hurst & Co., 2023). Coates Ulrichsen’s articles have appeared in numerous academic journals, including Global Policy and the Journal of Arabian Studies, and Third World Quarterly and he consults regularly on Gulf issues for government and private sector agencies around the world. Coates Ulrichsen holds a doctorate in history from the University of Cambridge.
