Journeys to the ‘Other’: England fans’, Orientalism and the 2022 World Cup

This article examines how England football fans made sense of Muslims, Islam and the Arabian Peninsula in the context of the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup in Qatar. Drawing on Edward Said's (2003 [1978]) theory of Orientalism, it investigates whether Orientalist discourses were maintained, (re)produced or challenged through fans’ lived experiences in the first World Cup staged in an Islamic society. It applies Said's framework through a bottom-up analysis of how Orientalism manifests in practice. Methodologically, this article employs a longitudinal ‘pre-during-post’ approach, following four England fans through semi-structured interviews, audio-visual diaries and photo-elicitation interviews. The findings demonstrate the complexities and contradictions of the fans’ attitudes and experiences; they simultaneously challenged and reinforced Orientalist assumptions through discourses of authenticity that maintained control over the Other. The World Cup functioned as a ‘bubble’, enabling fans to encounter the ‘exotic’ from comfort and security. When experiences aligned with their preconceptions (wearing themed thawbs ), fans accepted them as authentic, but when they challenged their imaginaries (encountering modernity), they dismissed them as ‘inauthentic’ or ‘Westernised’. Both Orientalist discourse and self-Orientalist strategies shaped cultural exchanges. These findings highlight how sporting events in the Arabian Peninsula may perpetuate rather than challenge Orientalist frameworks.