Saudi Arabia to host 2034 Fifa World Cup, despite human rights concerns

(Image: Host Nation Saudi Arabia)

11 Dec 2024

Fifa confirmed Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will jointly host the 2030 edition.

Two years after Qatar became the first Middle East country to host a senior men’s soccer World Cup, Saudi Arabia has been named the official host of the 2034 edition. The Arab nation was the sole bidder to host the tournament.

riyadh world cup A drone show displays the words, ‘Riyadh Ready for the Best?’ as Saudi Arabia is announced as the host nation for the Fifa World Cup 2034 on 11 December 2024. (Photo: Christophe Viseux / Getty Images for Saudi Arabian Football Federation)

In November, Fifa announced that Saudi Arabia’s bid had scored the highest evaluation mark in the history of the process to determine a World Cup host. It received a score of 419.8 out of 500 when the global soccer body tested its merits through a variety of criteria. These range from infrastructure, services and commercial aspects to event vision, sustainability and human rights.

“In today’s divided world, where it seems that nobody can agree any more on anything, to be able to agree on something like that is definitely an incredible message of unity and positivity. And, we need these messages today,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino before Saudi Arabia was formally bestowed as host for the World Cup in a decade’s time.

The World Cup has traditionally been hosted by Europe, plus South and North America. In 2010, South Africa became the first and only African country to earn the honour.

In 2022, Qatar became the third Asian nation to host the tournament – following on from the dual hosting of Japan and South Korea.

After being the sole bidder for the 2034 event, Saudi Arabia is set to become the fourth Asian host. By the time the tournament comes, it will be the second Middle Eastern nation to host the quadrennial soccer spectacle.

“Football lives in our hearts so to host a Fifa World Cup is the ultimate honour and we have been working towards this for a very long time,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation president Yasser Al Misehal said.

fifa infantino Fifa President Gianni Infantino. (Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

“We welcome the responsibility and opportunity to help grow the game globally for all and make a positive contribution on the world stage,” he said.

Just like Qatar, Saudi Arabia’s human rights record has been lambasted. The Saudis, in particular, have been accused of using sport to paint over humanitarian transgressions and attempting to erase a tawdry reputation.

The Saudis have vehemently denied the assertion that they are sportwashers, saying their interest in sport is to expand their options and not rely solely on oil to prop up the country.

Nevertheless, Fifa’s decision to hand hosting rights to Saudi Arabia has drawn the ire of numerous global human rights organisations – with Amnesty International at the forefront.

“Fifa’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of labour rights and sport.

“Based on clear evidence to date, Fifa knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia. Yet it has chosen to press ahead regardless. The organisation risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow,” said Cockburn.

“At every stage of this bidding process, Fifa has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham. Meanwhile, its continued failure to compensate migrant workers who were exploited in Qatar provides scant confidence that lessons have been learnt,” said Cockburn.

saudi world cup (Image: Host Nation Saudi Arabia)

“It’s disheartening, if not surprising, that Fifa has awarded Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia hosting rights for the World Cup based on a heavily flawed bid, which sidestepped engagement with external stakeholders or the Saudi public themselves,” echoed Lina Alhathloul, a representative of ALQST for Human Rights, a Saudi diaspora human rights organisation.

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Qatar criticised the West for virtue signalling and discriminating against the Middle Eastern nation.

“For what we Europeans have been doing around the world in the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people,” Infantino said in 2022.

His sentiments have not changed and he has blocked out criticism of Fifa for entertaining the Saudi bid.

“The Fifa World Cup is unique, and it is a unique catalyst as well for positive social change and unity,” said Infantino.

The 2030 edition will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. One-off matches will be played in three South American countries (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), in celebration of a century since the first World Cup took place in Uruguay. DM

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