Abstract
Abstract The article aims to contribute to the relationship between sport for development and peace (SDP) and sports mega‐events (SMEs) as viable platforms for accelerating human development and social change goals at local, regional and international levels. Recently, there has been a notable increase in the number of emerging economies in the global South demonstrating their aspirations to bid and (if successful) host SMEs. The article argues that the SDP‐SME nexus can be strategically utilised to redress some of the criticisms levelled against the nature of deployment of SDP activities, particularly in the global South. Therefore, the article argues for leveraging global South SMEs to advance SDP theory and practice. However, leveraging SMEs by the global SDP field requires a fresh strategic direction. The article employs qualitative approaches by drawing upon data from two roundtable discussions and Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup 2022 panel discussions held in New York and Doha. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to analyse the transcriptions of the discussions. The article is unique in its advocating for the role that global South SME actors can play in advancing global SDP policy and practice that supports southern agency. The article therefore contributes to a more nuanced understanding of leveraging global South SME hosting towards addressing limitations in global SDP praxis.