Digital Sports Marketing and Fan Attendance: A Systematic Review of the International Literature with Applications to the Iraqi Premier League

Abstract

Over the past decade, social media has become a central component of the marketing infrastructure of sports organizations. Its role has evolved beyond disseminating news and covering matches to fostering relationships with fans, strengthening emotional attachment to sports brands, enhancing engagement, and influencing consumer and spectator behavior related to clubs and leagues (Vale & Fernandes, 2018; Annamalai et al., 2021). In football, recent literature suggests that digital engagement does not replace stadium attendance; rather, it shapes fan awareness, loyalty, and willingness to attend matches when integrated with relevant content and a high-quality organizational and spectator experience (Schreyer & Ansari, 2022; Romero-Jara et al., 2024). This review aims to analyze trends in the scientific literature on digital marketing in football, with a particular focus on the impact of social media on fan attendance, and to apply this analysis to the Iraqi Premier League as an Arab case with distinctive organizational and fan-related characteristics. The study adopted a descriptive-analytical literature review approach, drawing upon the general principles of the PRISMA 2020 statement to ensure transparency in the processes of identifying, selecting, and reporting the reviewed studies, without claiming to conduct a full systematic review or meta-analysis (Page et al., 2021). The literature search covered major academic databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, in addition to official documents relevant to the Iraqi context (Iraqi Football Association, 2021; LaLiga, 2026). Studies were selected based on their direct or analytical relevance to digital sports marketing and fan attendance, the credibility of their sources, and the recency of publication, while non-peer-reviewed or unverifiable sources were excluded. The selected studies were subjected to a simplified descriptive quality assessment, considering the clarity of research objectives, sample or study context, appropriateness of measurement instruments or data collection methods, and transparency of data analysis and findings. No study was excluded solely on the basis of quality; however, methodological strengths and limitations were considered during the critical analysis of the literature. The review reveals that the international literature is considerably more advanced than Iraqi and broader Arab scholarship in explaining the relationships among digital content, fan engagement, loyalty, and attendance intentions. In contrast, local studies remain limited in theoretical depth and methodological diversity. Recent institutional developments also indicate a genuine commitment to strengthening the digital