Saudi Arabia awarded 2034 FIFA World Cup despite human rights concerns

Saudi Arabia has been awarded the hosting rights of the 2034 men’s FIFA World Cup despite growing criticism of the country’s human rights record.

Human rights groups have described the decision as a “moment of great danger”, with FIFA knowing the risks towards residents, migrant workers and visiting fans the country’s hosting would have.

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In a joint statement with more than 20 signatories, FIFA was blasted for the decision, saying the organisation “ignored our warnings and discarded its own human rights policies”.

“It is evident that without urgent action and comprehensive reforms, the 2034 World Cup will be tarnished by repression, discrimination and exploitation on a massive scale,” the statement read.

Saudi Arabia became the sole bidder after the bid from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations failed to gain support, and Australia and New Zealand withdrew their joint bid.

Head of Saudi Arabia’s bid, Hammad Albalawi, said the country has made significant progress in human rights.

“We have come a long way and there’s still a long way to go,” Mr Albalawi told Reuters.

“Our principle is to develop something that is right for us. Our journey started in 2016, not because of the World Cup bid.

“We’ve launched initiatives granting employees the freedom to move between employers. Documents of these employees are now uploaded into government systems, ensuring they have rights within their contracts.”

At the three-hour FIFA Extraordinary Congress meeting, it was also announced that Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay would host the first-ever six-nation World Cup in 2030 to make the event’s 100th anniversary.

FIFA rules state that the host continent should be cycled through every four years, so the 2034 World Cup had to be hosted in Asia or Oceania, as the 2026 event will be played in North America.

Saudi Arabia has promised 15 stadiums for the World Cup, eight yet to be built, major road, rail and airport upgrades in five cities and the construction of Neom, a futuristic city.

FIFA gave the bid a 4.2 out of five tech assessment score – the highest in World Cup history.

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