What’s the easiest way to win a vote? Make sure you’re the only option that can be voted for. Saudi Arabia has been selected by FIFA as the host nation for the 2034 World Cup, beating… erm, nobody in the vote. That’s because no other country nominated themselves as a potential host for the quadrennial showpiece.
And so FIFA, much to their cash-counting delight, had no choice but to award the World Cup to Saudi Arabia, despite many of the criticisms of handing the tournament to Qatar in 2022 remaining valid here, too. Of course money talks in modern football – hence why the Saudis leave many sporting administrators, authorities and governing bodies with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.
Is Bigger Always Better?
With deep pockets, Saudi Arabia should put on a good show – they have already promised ‘one of a kind’ stadiums will be built to host World Cup games. One of the grounds will be constructed in a city that hasn’t even been built yet. Fans will be banned from consuming alcohol too, while it has been suggested that just 230,000 hotel rooms will be made available at a tournament which normally welcomes around 1.5 million overseas fans.
Money & Human Rights
The Saudis have spent around £5 billion on sporting projects since the country’s ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, as he looks to diversify its economy away from oil-based revenue. However, critics claim that Bin Salman is merely ‘sportswashing’ in an attempt to paper over the nation’s diabolical human rights record.
Scorching Summer Temperatures
It will be the second time that the Middle East has welcomed the tournament, and the second time as well that the World Cup will be played during the winter months to escape the scorching summer temperatures – despite complaints about the fixture pile-up that brings to club football. So much so, it has been reported that the Premier League and representatives of Europe’s other ‘big five’ leagues will join forces in a bid to persuade FIFA not to schedule the World Cup for the winter.
Domestic Fixture Pile-Up
The 2022 World Cup was played in November and December in Qatar, however that was before the tournament was expanded to 48 teams and prior to UEFA’s continental competitions being increased in size, too. With elite players expected to play in more games and spend additional time away from their clubs, it will likely lead to an almighty domestic fixture pile-up before and after the World Cup.
The Whitewash
For any potential host nation of the football World Cup, FIFA has to conduct an evaluation report to make sure that the country is appropriate to welcome the biggest tournament on the planet. Ahead of the 2034 edition, FIFA filed their evaluation report on Saudi Arabia and gave out their highest-ever score for a prospective host.
That, evidently, has nothing to do with the sponsorship deal agreed between FIFA and Saudi oil company Aramco, which will pump $100 million (£79 million) into the governing body’s coffers each year. The report reads:
There is a 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 well as scoring huge points for its hosting plans, Saudi Arabia was also only designated a ‘medium’ risk category by FIFA when it comes to human rights violations. That’s despite an estimated 200 people being executed in the country between January and September 2024 alone, for crimes as heinous as anti-government protesting and drug possession.
There are also concerns about the wellbeing of migrant workers that will be tasked with building Saudi Arabia’s mammoth new infrastructure. A suspected 6,500 people died building new stadia and infrastructure for Qatar ahead of their World Cup, although official records claim that just 50 people lost their lives. Same-sex relationships remain illegal in Saudi Arabia, while failing to carry I.D. is an offence that can be punished with a prison sentence.
How Is the Host of the World Cup Chosen?
As far as the 2034 World Cup is concerned, the host nation wasn’t chosen but anointed. FIFA fudged their own rules to allow Saudi Arabia almost a free hit. They used to have a rotation policy, which meant that the World Cup in a different continent each time – with a country, or group of countries, in each having a chance to host the tournament once in every six rotations. However, FIFA has relaxed that rule – principally so that it has flexibility to pick and choose who it wants its candidates to be.
The 2030 edition is the perfect case in point. The governing body has come up with a scheme that will see three continents – South America, Africa and Europe – welcome games. Because North and Central America are hosting the 2026 tournament, it left only Asia and Oceania with a slam dunk for 2034.
Saudi Arabia is a member of the AFC Confederation that governs, you guessed it, Asia, with only Australia in the running as a viable alternative for 2034. According to reports, FIFA gave Football Australia less than a month to come up with a bid proposal – while Saudi Arabia’s bid was formalised within minutes of the bid window opening, suggesting that they knew in advance of FIFA’s intentions.
James Johnson, the chief executive of Football Australia, admitted that the timing of the process ‘did catch us a little bit by surprise’, and confirmed that the AFC preferred the Saudi bid anyway. So, with Australia out of the running, Saudi Arabia had a slam dunk as the only contender to host the tournament. FIFA had to go through the formalities anyway, but at a Congress meeting in December, the Saudis were sworn in as the hosts of World Cup 2034. FIFA, who hold a global monopoly on international football, anointing Saudi Arabia, who had a monopoly on the bid process, as tournament hosts.
