The Price of the Games—Or Whether Mega‐Sporting Events Improve Human Rights in the Host Country

ABSTRACT Objective The controversy surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States has renewed debate over whether hosting mega‐sporting events affects human rights. This article examines whether host governments strategically adjust civil liberties in response to international scrutiny. Methods Using a bidder‐based difference‐in‐differences design, it analyses 74 FIFA World Cups and Olympic Games (1900–2022), comparing successful hosts with unsuccessful bidders across nine civil liberties dimensions from the Varieties of Democracy (V‐Dem) dataset. Results The findings support a selective adjustment thesis. Seven dimensions show no statistically robust effects, suggesting that hosting does not systematically alter most civil liberties. Freedom from forced labor improves before events but deteriorates afterward, consistent with strategic reputation management. A marginal effect on freedom of religion does not survive multiple‐testing correction. Conclusions Host governments, therefore, appear to selectively manage internationally visible rights rather than undertake genuine human rights reform.