Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA it has not learned the lessons of Qatar’s much-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup. (AP/File)
Saudi Arabia was officially announced as the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2034 on Wednesday while the 2030 edition will take place in Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Also, the 2030 World Cup, which will also be the 100th anniversary of the showpiece will be hosted in six different countries, on 3 different continents.
This is the latest caveat that Saudi Arabia has received after being named as hosts for the 2034 Asian Games as well as the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
In October 2023, FIFA set a 25-day deadline for countries to express interest in hosting the 2034 World Cup with both Australia and Saudi Arabia putting their names in the hat. Australia would, however, pull out after a few days in order to secure the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup hosting rights.
Set your alarms at 20:34 as the celebrations are about to begin! 🤩🎵https://t.co/Lycmhg50v8#WelcomeToSaudi34#Saudi34 pic.twitter.com/iF3BtaKBns
— Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup 2034™️ (@Saudi2034) December 11, 2024
This would leave Saudi as the lone candidate with FIFA even giving it a glowing review, scoring its bid 4.2 out of 5 — more than the 2026 bid of USA, Canada and Mexico, which received 4 out of 5.
Last Thursday, even Cristiano Ronaldo who plays for Saudi club Al Nassr, supported the bid, writing on his social media handles: “The @Saudi2034bid is inspiring so many young footballers with the promise of #GrowingTogether…”
The Saudi victory will kick off a decade of scrutiny on Saudi labor laws and treatment of workers mostly from South Asia needed to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums, plus hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament.
One of the stadiums is planned to be 350 meters (yards) above the ground in Neom — a futuristic city that does not yet exist — and another named for the crown prince is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff near Riyadh.
During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record that was widely criticized this year at the United Nations.
Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA it has not learned the lessons of Qatar’s much-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.
The kingdom plans to spend tens of billion of dollars on projects related to the World Cup as part of the crown prince’s sweeping Vision 2030 project that aims to modernize Saudi society and economy. At its core is spending on sports by the $900 billion sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund, which he oversees. Critics have called it “sportswashing” of the kingdom’s reputation.
(With agency inputs)
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