Over the past two decades, sport has moved from the margins of Gulf foreign policy to the center of state strategy. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are no longer simply bidding to host tournaments or sponsoring teams for visibility. They are building integrated sports ecosystems that connect sovereign wealth, tourism, urban development, media, entertainment, diplomacy, public health, and national identity. The scale of this activity has turned the Gulf into one of the most consequential centers of change in the global sports economy.