Saudi Arabia Confirmed As 2034 World Cup Host—Here’s Why It’s So Controversial
Key Facts
FIFA hosted a special congress in Zurich Wednesday morning to confirm the 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with additional games in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay—and to formally confirm Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host.
The 2030 decision to play the tournament across six countries and three continents was initially a surprise as the World Cup has never been played on more than one continent and climate groups spoke against the plan to shuttle teams and fans thousands of miles between games, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino said it sends "a great message of peace, tolerance and inclusion."
Saudi Arabia was the only country to submit a competitive bid for the 2034 tournament, but it was widely seen as part of the country's continued efforts to modernize its global image.
Saudi Arabia aims to host all 104 games of the 2034 world cup in 15 stadiums (eight of which haven't been built) across Jeddah, Abha, Al Khobar, Neom and a 92,000-seat venue planned in Riyadh.
The Saudi plan has been criticized for the apparent ease at which the bid was approved by FIFA and for contributing to the country’s efforts to “sports wash” its history of human rights abuses—though FIFA has claimed it could help drive positive change in the country.
Crucial Quote
“As a nation that loves football it is expected that fans across the entire kingdom will naturally take to the streets and celebrate this historic moment if their country is confirmed as hosts,” the Saudi Arabian bid team said in a statement.
Why Is A Saudi World Cup So Controversial?
For three main reasons: The speed of the bidding and confirmation process; concerns over migrant and labor abuses that plagued Qatar’s 2022 World Cup preparations; and concerns about Saudi Arabia’s years-long effort to “sports wash” its history of human rights violations. Saudi Arabia has been the obvious pick for the 2034 World Cup since last October, when the only other interested host county—Australia—said it wouldn't be submitting a competitive bid. Australia's decision came after FIFA opened the bidding process for the tournament without warning and while Saudi Arabia already had "a glossy document ready to go," The Guardian reported, other countries had just 25 days to pull together their submissions. Human Rights Watch earlier this month urged FIFA to reject the Saudi bid because the nation has not committed to protecting the migrant laborers that will likely be hired to build the massive infrastructure needed to host such a tournament. The organization said there is a "near certainty" that the World cup will lead to "pervasive rights violations," a claim that comes after at least 400 migrant workers died as a result of work on projects connected to Qatar's World Cup two years ago. Saudi Arabia has taken several giant steps into the sports realm in recent years—like launching the LIV Golf tour and starting a foray into the world of tennis—leading critics to argue it is trying to “sports wash” its reputation. The Guardian reported the country spent more than $6 billion on sports deals between 2021 and 2023.
Big Number
1. That's how many countries spoke against the Saudi bid at the meeting Wednesday. Norway is expected to vote against the decision because of the way the bid was handled, with Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness saying the process did not "align with the principles of a sound and predictable governance system."
Tangent
The World Economic Forum's 2023 Global Gender Gap Report ranked Saudi Arabia 131st out of 147 countries—four spots lower than in 2022—highlighting the dramatic divide in education and workers rights for women and men. Saudi Arabia does not recognize LGBTQ rights and homosexuality is still punishable by imprisonment, death and beating.
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