Social justice has been steadily gaining traction in physical education (PE) and physical education teacher education (PETE) for more than 40 years. During that time, scholars have argued for the importance of explicating the hidden curriculum, educating pre-service teachers (PSTs) about equality, sociocultural perspectives and issues, and most recently, taking action through social justice initiatives. A growing body of PETE literature has highlighted issues such as racism, gender, and motor elitism, however limited research has focused specifically on how social justice education (SJE) is enacted in PETE programs around the globe, particularly within the current neoliberal culture. The aim of this special issue is to explore how sociocultural and social justice issues are addressed and implemented in PETE programs internationally. In particular, emphasis has been placed on the similarities and differences across a global teacher education context related to multiple socio-political networks and assemblages (e.g. national, program, and individual) and the influence they have on best practices in PETE related to social justice.