FIFA has officially announced Saudi Arabia as the host nation for the 2034 World Cup.
The football governing body also noted that the 2030 tournament will be jointly staged by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with the first three matches taking place in South America.
Both bids were uncontested and approved during an online FIFA Congress on Wednesday.
The English, Scottish, and Welsh Football Associations all expressed support for the arrangements.
Saudi Arabia emerged as the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup after FIFA controversially merged the decision-making process for both the 2030 and 2034 tournaments into a single vote.
This move forced delegates to either support or oppose both bids collectively, with no separate voting option.
The 2030 World Cup will mark the tournament’s centenary, spanning three continents and six nations. Its opening games will be held in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, reflecting the event’s South American origins.
However, the decision to grant Saudi Arabia the 2034 hosting rights has sparked criticism, with detractors accusing FIFA of enabling the regime’s “sportswashing” efforts to obscure its human rights record.
Critics have highlighted Saudi Arabia’s well-documented issues, including restrictions on free speech, the criminalization of homosexuality, and limited women’s rights.
Despite these concerns, Saudi Arabia achieved the highest-ever score in FIFA’s bid evaluation, with its human rights risk rated as “medium.”
Amnesty International called FIFA’s assessment “an astonishing whitewash.”
In response to the announcement, the Football Association of Wales stated, “Following the outcome of the Extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting, the FAW will work with other national football federations to closely monitor what actions will be taken to address concerns in preparation for the tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia.”
This tournament will be the first 48-team World Cup hosted by a single nation, following the 2026 event shared by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Saudi Arabia’s path to hosting was solidified by an agreement reached at a FIFA Council meeting in October 2023.
Concerns Over Human Rights and Scheduling
The FA revealed it had met with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to ensure the safety of fans attending the 2034 tournament.
Their statement reads,”After a careful review of both proposals, we supported the two World Cup bids – from Spain/Portugal/Morocco in 2030, and Saudi Arabia in 2034. Both bids are technically strong and meet the FIFA criteria to host the Men’s World Cup.
“Our focus is on ensuring that all our fans can attend and enjoy tournaments. The FA Board met the Saudi Arabian Football Federation last month to discuss their bid in more detail. We asked them to commit to ensuring all fans would be safe and welcome in Saudi Arabia in 2034 – including LGBTQ+ fans. They assured us that they are fully committed to providing a safe and welcome environment for all fans.
“Football is a global game, and is for everyone. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion means being respectful of all, including all religions and cultures. We also believe that hosting World Cups can be a catalyst for positive change, which is best delivered by working collaboratively in partnership with host nations.
“We will work with FIFA and UEFA to ensure that commitments to respect all human rights are delivered.”*
Despite FIFA’s assurances, Amnesty International’s Steve Cockburn expressed grave concerns, “FIFA has human rights requirements that is part of its bidding process, which means that anyone who wants to host the World Cup should meet minimum labour standards, standards on freedom of expression, and to make sure that people are protected when the tournament’s happening.
“We’ve done a lot of work on Saudi Arabia over many years, and it’s clear that this is a very dangerous decision for FIFA.
“There are huge risks to migrant workers, hundreds of thousands of whom will be involved in the tournament, who are at risk of exploitation or even death in the extremely hot conditions, residents who could be forcibly evicted from their homes for major projects, fans who could face discrimination.
“And we know that in Saudi Arabia, anyone who wants to speak out, even peacefully, will find themselves in prison.
“So it’s an extremely dangerous decision. FIFA did not manage to negotiate human rights protections with Saudi Arabia before it awarded, and it’s not really clear if it even tried particularly hard.”*
Another major challenge will be the timing of the tournament. Temperatures in Saudi Arabia exceed 40°C in June and July, potentially pushing FIFA to consider a winter schedule.
This would mirror the disruption caused by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but the expanded 48-team format and increasing European club commitments complicate the feasibility.
The European Leagues, which includes the Premier League, has expressed significant concerns over the potential chaos a winter World Cup could cause to domestic and international football calendars.
This issue is expected to fuel ongoing tensions between FIFA and top football leagues worldwide.
