Saudi Arabia has been officially designated by FIFA as the host for the 2034 Men’s World Cup.
The Saudi proposal was the sole bid, and received enthusiastic support from over 200 FIFA member federations during an online meeting led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Zurich.
As critics denounce this decision, FIFA and Saudi officials argue that hosting the 2034 tournament could promote progress, particularly in enhancing freedoms and rights for women. This announcement coincided with the approval of the only bid for the 2030 World Cup, which will see Spain, Portugal, and Morocco co-hosting the tournament.
As FIFA bends its own rules to give Saudi Arabia the coveted 2034 World Cup hosting rights critics have objected to the bidding process, and human rights groups have raised concerns about workplace safety for the migrants who will build the stadiums needed to host the event.
Under its leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has unleashed a spending spree on global sports, turning the kingdom into a contender for the biggest events.
Some human rights groups objecting to the Saudi bid, said the country’s human rights record raises risks for the thousands of migrant workers from some of the poorest parts of the earth who will likely be brought in to build the infrastructure — stadiums, airports, roads and hotels, and even a new city — to stage the tournament.
However, yesterday, Wednesday, soccer’s governing body FIFA delivered Saudi Arabia the biggest prize of all: the men’s World Cup in 2034.
Under FIFA’s rules, the organization’s 211 member nations are supposed to select one tournament host during a single vote, and usually there are multiple contenders. This year, though, FIFA’s members picked hosts at the same time for two tournaments: the World Cup in 2030 and 2034. And they were asked to make their selection in a package deal, essentially approving the bids for both tournaments, or for neither.
The only contender for the 2030 event was, for the first time, a group of six countries from three continents — Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. So, any nation that voted against the Saudi bid would also be voting against those countries hosting the 2030 event, too.
Congratulations to Saudi Arabia.
