On the eve of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Football Club’s arrival in Seattle to face the Sounders in their final group match of the Club World Cup, the Director of the UW Global Sport Lab, Ron Krabill, sat down with two French scholars to discuss the European champions and their cultural and political significance within France and worldwide. Stéphane Mourlane (Professor of contemporary history and sport at the University of Aix-Marseilles) and David Do Paço (French Attaché for Academic Cooperation) explore PSG’s history as a fan-owned club, their purchase by the Qatari Sports Investments (QSI) Fund, and the evolution of their supporters from the glamor of the French elite to an increasingly global fan base. Special thanks to the Villa Albertine for making this conversation possible. Recorded June 19, 2025.

The Global Sport Lab, based in the UW's Henry M. Jackson School, is supported by over a dozen UW departments and schools and was founded in 2024. The Lab uses the lens of sport to explore the big challenges of our global world, such as inequity, politics, injustice, human rights, popular culture, democracy and the economy.

Music credit: “Merci Kylian” by Laurent Dubois. Full song "Merci Kylian": music.apple.com/us/album/merci-ky…0482?i=1734841106; Music label: www.wotiproduction.com/music-1

Photo credit: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/by Leandro Neumann Ciuffo

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