Abstract
This article explores Manchester United's role as a diplomatic actor in contemporary international affairs. It explores United as a lens on the role a sporting institution can have in the broader diplomatic milieu of the twenty-first century and the burgeoning understanding of sport diplomacy. The argument is that certain sporting institutions have a capacity to influence the diplomatic process in contemporary diplomacy because of the increasingly multilayered and multi-stakeholder nature of international affairs. The article analyses United across three categories: football, commercial, and business to illustrate their influence. The influence as a diplomatic actor is identified in two main forms: first, Manchester United participating as part of the English Premier League, playing in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, and, second, as an international business with a truly global commercial brand, and in what might be considered traditional forms of diplomacy, with engagement with the attributes of Her Majesty's Government at home or abroad.
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