FIFA formally announced Saudi Arabia as the 2034 men’s World Cup host on Wednesday.
More than 200 FIFA member federations applauded the Saudi candidacy, which was the only one submitted. On Wednesday, Gianni Infantino, the president of the international football organisation, conducted an online conference in Zurich where they participated virtually.
Introducing the hosts for the next two editions of the @FIFAWorldCup! 🏆
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) December 11, 2024
Morocco, Portugal and Spain will host in 2030, with centenary celebration matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Four years later, Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup 2034™. pic.twitter.com/WdOEdNEVxH
The sole candidate to host the 2030 World Cup was also approved in conjunction with the decision. Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay will each receive one of the 104 games in a six-nation project that Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will co-host.
The South American tie will commemorate Uruguay’s hosting of the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
The largest reward to date for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s enormous expenditures on international sports is the approval to host the quadrennial tournament.
The ruling concludes a 15-month, largely secret bidding process that FIFA president Gianni Infantino assisted in directing towards Saudi Arabia without a competing candidate and without fielding any questions, which human rights organisations worry may endanger the lives of migrant workers.
Organising the 2034 event, according to FIFA and Saudi officials, can hasten progress, including greater rights and freedoms for women.
FIFA approved a three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup, spearheaded by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, last year, clearing the way for a quick route to triumph. During an online meeting convened by Infantino from Zurich, more than 200 FIFA member federations voted in favour of that bid, which will also earn joint approval for the 2030 and 2034 tournament hosts on Wednesday.
In preparation for the 104-game tournament, it will begin a ten-year examination of Saudi labour laws and the treatment of workers, primarily from South Asia, who are required to assist in the construction and renovation of 15 stadiums, as well as hotels and transportation systems.
In Neom, a futuristic metropolis that has not yet been created, one of the stadiums is intended to be 350 meters (yards) above the ground. Another stadium, named for the crown prince, is intended to be situated atop a 200-meter cliff close to Riyadh.
FIFA has allowed little examination of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, which was heavily criticised at the UN this year, during the bid process.
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.
Instead of directly challenging the status quo as it did with the disruptive LIV Golf project, the prince, also known as MBS, has developed strong working relationships with Infantino since 2017, aligning with the organiser of the most watched event in sports.
