Abstract: In the age of digital communication, social media platforms have emerged as important spaces for public discourse, allowing users to respond to and contest mainstream media representations of major public events. Accordingly, this study examines how Moroccan social media users react to mainstream media representations of Morocco’s hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, focusing on Medi1 TV YouTube videos and their users’ comments. Drawing on thematic analysis and Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis, the study analyzes users’ comments responding to selected videos about the event. Although many comments are supportive to the event, the scope of the study focuses on oppositional comments that challenge the mainstream media narrative. The analysis shows that oppositional comments bring issues of government priorities, public spending, and social conditions into the discourse surrounding Morocco’s hosting of the World Cup. The study also highlights social media as a space for counter-discourse in which alternative perspectives and public concerns can challenge dominant media narratives surrounding major national projects.
Keywords: Morocco; 2030 FIFA World Cup; mainstream media; YouTube comments; Critical Discourse Analysis; thematic analysis; counter-discourse.
Title: Negotiating Morocco’s Hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup: A Critical Discourse Analysis of YouTube Comments
Author: GHIZLAN ELALAOUI
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Vol. 14, Issue 4, October 2026 - December 2026
Page No: 1-11
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 02-October-2026
