Saudi Arabia is set to be confirmed as the host of the 2034 men’s football World Cup after running unopposed, marking the kingdom’s most significant achievement to date in its push for a seat at the top table of global sport.
The Gulf kingdom’s bid to stage one of the world’s biggest sporting events was due to be rubber-stamped during an online gathering of officials from Fifa, football’s global governing body, on Wednesday afternoon. The 2030 tournament was also set to be awarded to a joint proposal from Spain, Portugal and Morocco at the same meeting.
Fifa’s own technical assessment gave the Saudi bid a rating of 4.2 out of 5, and described it as a “very strong all-round proposition” with a “very good financial platform”. It also recognised that “climatic conditions” would require “further consideration” as to the timing of the event. While typically held in the northern hemisphere’s summer months, Fifa moved the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to December to avoid the punishing Gulf heat.
On the issue of human rights, Fifa’s report said “there is good potential for the tournament to serve as a catalyst for some of the ongoing and future reforms, and contribute to positive human rights outcomes for people in Saudi Arabia and the region that go beyond the scope of the tournament itself”.
Amnesty International called the Fifa evaluation an “astonishing whitewash of the country’s atrocious human rights record”, adding that without urgent reforms “the 2034 World Cup will be inevitably tarnished by exploitation, discrimination and repression”.
Saudi Arabia, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has made football one of its prime targets for sporting investment. The Public Investment Fund, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, acquired English Premier League side Newcastle United in 2021, Saudi entities have sponsorship deals with AS Roma, Atlético Madrid and the Spanish league, and state-run Saudi Aramco is a top Fifa sponsor.
Saudi clubs have also spent hundreds of millions of dollars to lure talent from Europe, including global stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr, while the country’s football association has signed dozens of memorandums of understanding to help foster ties with counterparts across the world.
A recent report by Play the Game, an initiative run by the Danish Institute for Sports Studies that seeks to raise ethical standards in sport, said that awarding the 2034 competition to Saudi Arabia was “merely the culmination of years of strategic investments and behind-the-scenes manoeuvring”.
“Over the past few years, the kingdom has woven an extensive web of influence across football’s global landscape with sponsorships, partnerships and investments connecting them with the sport’s most powerful and decision-making figures”, the report said.
Saudi officials have repeatedly pushed back against accusations of sportswashing, emphasising that the country’s investment in sport is producing positive economic returns and inspiring the country’s young population to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
“If sportswashing is going to increase my GDP by way of 1 per cent, I will continue doing sportswashing,” Prince Mohammed told Fox News last year.
Saudi Arabia emerged as the sole bidder for the 2034 tournament late last year after Fifa unexpectedly announced that the 2030 World Cup would go to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but with three games to be staged in South America.
The move to host the 2030 competition across three continents in effect barred most countries from bidding for 2034 due to Fifa rules that require rotation between regions. Fifa then abruptly curtailed the deadline for aspiring hosts to submit bids.
