FIFA’s review study rated Saudi Arabia bid to host the 2034 World Cup as having a “medium risk” for human rights, noting that it could need “significant time and effort” to accomplish improvements. A vote to choose the 2030 and 2034 World Cup hosts will take place at the FIFA Congress on December 11, which is when the report was released on Saturday. Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay are all scheduled to host a match as part of the centennial edition, while Morocco, Spain, and Portugal have united to compete for the 2030 tournament, leaving Saudi Arabia as the only contender for 2034. The findings of the technical examination, which evaluates the suggested infrastructure, show that the Saudi offer “presents a very strong all-around proposition.”
However, “in terms of human rights, the undertaking involved in implementing the various measures… particularly in certain areas, could involve significant effort and time,” the international governing body of football warned.
According to FIFA, that served as the rationale for the bid’s heightened risk rating, which was greater than the combined bid of the US, Canada, and Mexico for the 2026 World Cup and had an average score of 4.2 out of 5.
“It is important to note that the bid involves significant opportunities for positive human rights impact,” stated FIFA.
“There is good potential that the tournament could 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.”
As in Qatar, Saudi Arabia has yet to construct a number of stadiums suggested for a competition that will take place in the winter.
In the lead-up to 2034, human rights, a contentious issue during the 2022 World Cup in neighboring Qatar, might once again become a hot topic of conversation.
Rights organizations draw attention to Saudi Arabia’s widespread executions, torture claims, and limitations placed on women by the male guardianship system in the conservative nation.
Strong restrictions on free speech exist, and some individuals have received long jail sentences for posting critical content on social media.
Critics frequently accuse Saudi Arabia of “sportswashing”—using sport to deflect attention from its rights record—because the country is hosting a number of high-profile events, such as Formula One and the WTA Finals tennis.
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