Ask an Expert: The Geopolitics of World Cup Boycotts
The first games of the 2026 World Cup kick off in less than a month. As the tournament approaches, Graphika observes that organizers, North American host cities, and participating nations are facing mounting scrutiny.
The first games of the 2026 World Cup kick off in less than a month. As the tournament approaches, Graphika observes that organizers, North American host cities, and participating nations are facing mounting scrutiny.
In this Ask an Expert webinar, Graphika Analyst Dina Sadek will speak with Intelligence Specialist Angie Waller on Graphika's analysis of online boycott narratives surrounding the World Cup over the past year. They’ll examine how these themes emerge across platforms, who is driving them, and what distinguishes organic community concern from coordinated campaigns.
What You'll Learn
Boycott Narratives: Costs, Rights, and Geopolitical Conflict
How boycott narratives around event costs, travel restrictions, human rights concerns, and geopolitical conflict are evolving and intersecting.
Tracking the Signal: Grassroots Concern vs. Organized Movement
How Graphika tracks the spread of these narratives across platforms and distinguishes between grassroots community concerns and organized movements.
The Bigger Picture: Geopolitics and Major International Sporting Events
What the World Cup reveals about the growing role of geopolitics in shaping public discourse around major international sporting events and boycott narratives overall.
Dina Sadek delivers customized monitoring, in-depth analysis, and investigations to diverse Graphika clients. Her research expertise includes open-source intelligence, analysis of online information environments and narratives, and identifying influence operations and inauthentic coordination on social media platforms, among other online harms.
Angie Waller
Intelligence Specialist, Growth
Angie is a computational linguist and product designer who studies AI systems and vulnerabilities that emerge on social media platforms.
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