Today, the quality of the urban environment plays a significant role in the development and dynamism of sports tourism. Despite possessing potential sporting capacities, the metropolis of Ahvaz faces numerous environmental and infrastructural challenges. Given that the enhancement of urban spaces’ quality can directly lead to the attraction of sports tourists, the prosperity of the local economy, and increased social vitality, the present study aims to investigate these components and provide practical solutions for the sustainable development of sports tourism in this city. This research employs a mixed-methods (qualitative-quantitative) approach. In the qualitative phase, preliminary indicators were identified through interviews with experts and specialists in the fields of sports tourism, urban planning, as well as urban and sports management in the metropolis of Ahvaz. In the quantitative phase, the multi-criteria DANP (DEMATEL-based ANP) method was utilized to weight and prioritize the extracted indicators based on expert opinions. The statistical population comprised experts, university professors, managers, and active professionals in sports management, tourism, urban management, and urban planning in Ahvaz. Samples were selected purposively in the qualitative section and via judgmental sampling in the quantitative section. The findings indicate that prioritizing “urban software,” which encompasses security management, social vitality, and climatic requirements, is more critical for the development of sports tourism in Ahvaz than purely physical infrastructure. This causal analysis emphasizes that improving root drivers such as identity, sports infrastructure, and transportation is a fundamental prerequisite for enhancing security and environmental quality as key variables. Ultimately, achieving tourist satisfaction will only be possible through a chain of strategic decisions in the areas of smartification, event management, and the transformation of tourists’ lived experiences.