Saudi Arabia’s Sports Influence Detailed in New Report

On the eve of Saudi Arabia’s controversial coronation as host of the 2034 World Cup, a report detailed the country’s network of spending and influence in sports and soccer, and warned for the erosion of good governance.

The Arab Kingdom has more than 900 sponsorship deals across sports, with more than one-third traced to the $925 billion Saudi sovereign wealth fund, according to the report by Play the Game, a publicly funded sports ethics institute in Denmark.

“Saudi Arabia’s strategy isn’t just about hosting events at home,” Stanis Elsborg of Play the Game, which promotes democracy, transparency, and freedom of expression in sports, told me. “They’re increasingly sponsoring or staging high-profile events on foreign soil, including in the U.S.”

Elsborg listed among others the WTA tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, the Aramco Team Series in Tampa, the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Riyadh Season Noche UFC, LIV Golf, and the upcoming 2026 World Cup as events with Saudi sponsorship.

Elfsborg explained: “It’s about embedding Saudi Arabia into the fabric of global sports to project soft power and build alliances.

“Saudi Arabia shares similarities with Qatar and, at one point, China, in using sports as a form of soft power to enhance its global image and deflect attention from its human rights issues. Like Qatar, they’ve made bold moves by hosting major events and investing heavily in sponsorships. And like China, they’ve targeted specific sports markets with massive financial commitments.”

“Where Saudi Arabia takes it a step further is in the even deeper integration of sports and state governance. Many of the key figures driving their sports strategy also hold top positions within the state apparatus, giving them extraordinary levels of political and financial authority.”

Yasir Al-Rumayyan wields such extraordinary power and influence. He is the chairman of Aramco and the governor of the Public Investment Fund. He is also the chairman of the LIV Golf project, Riyadh Air, and the English Premier League club Newcastle. Al-Rumayyan also holds executive roles in the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committees. He might shape up to become the Saudi equivalent of Qatar’s Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the chairman of Qatar Sports Investments, beIN Media Group, the European Club Association, and French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He is also a Uefa Executive Committee member. In 2022, Qatar became the first Arab country to stage the World Cup.

Saudi Arabia has its eyes on the same prize, which is why the Arab kingdom has invested a lot in soccer. Play The Game identified 194 Saudi sponsorships concentrated on soccer. Aramco will sponsor the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The Saudis also signed 48 memoranda of understanding with national soccer federations.

Soccer’s governing body FIFA fast-tracked the Saudi candidacy for the 2034 World Cup after granting other eligible nations less than a month to throw their hat into the ring. Soccer boss Gianni Infantino has long nurtured a close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, notwithstanding the kingdom’s human rights record.

Why has FIFA, a governing body that constantly claims it has been reformed after FIFAGate in 2015, facilitated the Saudi bid? Elsborg is unequivocal: “At the end of the day, it’s all about money. FIFA relies on host nations to fund these grand spectacles, and Saudi Arabia is willing to spend billions to deliver what Gianni Infantino eventually will call “the best World Cup ever.”

He adds: “For Saudi Arabia, hosting the World Cup is the ultimate tool to legitimize their regime on the global stage. For FIFA, it’s a lucrative deal they’re all too willing to accept – despite the moral costs.”