The 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end, with Spanish team lifting the trophy. While players and fans are still celebrating the victory, our attention turns to what comes next.
Because if there is one thing all major sporting events have in common, it is that their success is built long before the action begins, through years of planning, coordination and stakeholder engagement behind the scenes.
In this article, we look ahead to the Brisbane Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games and draw on insights from our ongoing conversations with clients and partners involved in the road to 2032 to examine the key factors already shaping the event’s future success.
The expectations behind Brisbane 2032
Brisbane 2032 will be judged heavily on whether regional Queensland feels included in the social, cultural and economic benefits of the Games. That reality has important implications for international engagement. Queensland’s growth has historically been driven by resources, agriculture, regional development and domestic migration rather than sustained international engagement on the scale seen in cities such as Singapore, London or Dubai.
As a result, major projects and investments are often assessed through a broader lens than economic return alone. Community benefit, regional impact, local participation and contribution to Queensland’s long-term aspirations frequently carry significant weight in public and political discussions. International organisations can sometimes underestimate these dynamics. Success in Queensland is often less about arriving with a global reputation and more about demonstrating an understanding of local priorities, regional communities and the broader legacyQueensland is attempting to create through the Games.
This is particularly important because Brisbane 2032 arrives during a period of heightened economic uncertainty. Across Australia, cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability concerns and declining trust in institutions continue to shape public sentiment. SEC Newgate’s latest Mood of the Nation research found that 66 per cent of Australians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.
Against that backdrop, Brisbane 2032 carries an unusually important emotional dimension. Australians love sport and punch above their weight in global competitions., Queenslanders, which produce most of Australia’s leading athletes, particularly its swimmers, see major sporting events as deeply connected to state pride. The Games therefore represent a rare opportunity to create optimism, confidence and a sense of shared purpose at a time when many Australians remain uncertain about the future. People want Brisbane 2032 to succeed because they want Queensland, and Australia to succeed on the world’s stage.
Engaging in the Olympic Games: a unique opportunity from organizations
For organisations seeking to engage with Queensland, this creates a unique opportunity. The next six years will require unprecedented levels of coordination between governments, investors, infrastructure providers, sponsors, community organisations and international partners. Queensland will increasingly seek global expertise, international perspectives and trusted partners capable of helping deliver projects and navigate complex stakeholder environments. The organisations most likely to succeed will be those that recognise Brisbane 2032 is about more than visibility, sponsorship or project delivery.
They will understand that Queensland is using the Games to define how it wants to be perceived in the world. They will recognise that stakeholder trust, regional engagement and community legitimacy are not secondary considerations but central to the success of the Olympic project itself.
Because ultimately, Brisbane 2032 is not simply an Olympics. It is Queensland’s largest-ever exercise in place-making, reputation building and international engagement. The organisations that understand that reality will be best placed not only to participate in the Games, but to help shape the legacy that follows.