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Sports as Geoeconomics: How Stadiums Reshape Cities, Regions, and Global Influence

20
March 2026
By Helmut Sorge & Eduardo Amaral Haddad

This episode explores how mega sporting events function as instruments of geoeconomics, reshaping urban development, regional competitiveness, and global influence. Drawing on regional economics, Eduardo Amaral Haddad discusses the economic impacts of stadiums and related infrastructure across the pre-event, event, and post-event phases. The discussion highlights the risks of overestimated benefits, uneven territorial outcomes, and the conditions under which sports investments can generate lasting economic and social legacies beyond the event itself.

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