The Beautiful Game - Globalizing Soccer

Please join us for the May edition of the Spring 2026 series "The Beautiful Game" at the German Historical Institute Washington:
Clubs, Leagues, and Fan Culture between the Local and the World
Fireside Chat at GHI Washington | Steven Goff (Yahoo Sports), Dee Kundra (FC Bayern München - Americas), and Chuka Onwumechili (Howard University) in conversation with Samuel Jackisch (ARD – German Media Washington Bureau)
This event brings together practitioners and media voices to examine the complex relationships between international club branding, league expansion, and the cultural identities of fans. Together, they will explore how soccer has evolved into a truly global phenomenon while remaining deeply rooted in local contexts. Focusing on the intersections of sport, business, and media, the discussion will address how clubs and leagues navigate global markets, build transnational audiences, and respond to the challenges of commercialization and cultural diversity. The event will also highlight the enduring importance of local traditions and community connections in shaping the game's global appeal.
About the Spring 2026 Lecture Series "The Beautiful Game" at the German Historical Institute Washington:

Soccer, the world’s most popular sport, unites people across continents, cultures, and languages. For over a century, the game and its institutions have been inherently global in nature, with clubs, leagues, national teams, and tournaments drawing people together from around the world, while local aspects such as fan culture have contributed significantly to soccer’s global success. The (hi)story of the “beautiful game,” however, is not only a positive one. Corruption, scandals, and discrimination have plagued the sport since its early beginnings and form a significant part of the game’s story.

On the occasion of this summer’s men’s soccer World Cup, hosted across Mexico, Canada, and the United States, the GHI Washington’s 2026 Spring Lecture Series, “The Beautiful Game,” will explore the sport’s impact from multiple perspectives: popularizing soccer, globalizing soccer, and paying for soccer. The series will feature leading scholars and seasoned practitioners offering diverse insights into the sport’s popularity, globality, and financial aspects.

Doors will open at 5:30 pm and will close promptly at 6:00 pm with the beginning of the lecture. Access to the lecture after doors close will be at descretion of the GHI. Registration does not guarantee access once event capacity is reached.

The lecture will be recorded and made available for viewing.

Organized by by Sarah Beringer, Andreas Greiner, and Ulrike von Hirschhausen in cooperation with the .

Please be aware that this event or conference, or a portion of it, could be live-streamed to registered participants watching remotely via ZOOM or a similar platform, or could be videorecorded for publication. By participating in-person, you understand that it is possible that you could be seen by registered participants watching the stream, that your comments may be seen/heard by participants watching the stream, and that a recording of the live stream could be made available on a video sharing service such Vimeo.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher German Historical Institute