Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 men’s World Cup, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for the massive spending on global sport pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi bid was the only candidate and received the approval of more than 200 FIFA member associations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted by football association president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday in Zurich.
“The vote of Congress is loud and clear,” said Infantino, who used a series of screens to ask officials to clap their hands at head height to show their support.
The decision was linked to the approval of the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each receiving one of the 104 games.
The South American connection marks the 100th anniversary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930.
The decisions conclude a largely opaque 15-month application process that Infantino steered toward Saudi Arabia without an opposing candidate and without answering questions, and which human rights groups say will endanger the lives of migrant workers.
FIFA and Saudi Arabia officials said hosting the 2034 tournament could accelerate change, including greater freedoms and rights for women.
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The quick path to victory was paved last year when FIFA accepted the three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup. This meant that only football associations in Asia and Oceania were eligible for the 2034 competition and FIFA gave them less than four weeks to register. Only Saudi Arabia did that.
Saudi Arabia’s victory will kick off a decade of scrutiny over labor laws and the treatment of workers, mostly from South Asia, to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums as well as hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament .
One of the stadiums will be 350 meters (yards) above the ground in Neom – a futuristic city that does not yet exist – and another stadium, named after the crown prince, will be built on a 200-meter-high cliff near Riyadh .
During the bid campaign, FIFA accepted a limited review of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, which was widely criticized at the United Nations this year.
Saudi and international human rights groups and activists warned FIFA had failed to learn the lessons of Qatar’s widely criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.
FIFA made a “reckless decision” to admit Saudi Arabia without seeking public assurances about human rights protection, an international collective of human rights groups said in a statement.
“At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has demonstrated that its commitment to human rights is a sham,” said Steve Cockburn, head of labor rights and sport at Amnesty International.
The kingdom plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on World Cup-related projects as part of the crown prince’s sweeping Vision 2030 project, which aims to modernize Saudi society and economy. The focus is on the sports spending of the $900 billion state fund Public Investment Fund, which he oversees. Critics called it a “sports wash” for the kingdom’s reputation.
The prince, known as MBS, has developed a close working relationship with Infantino since 2017 – allying himself with the organizer of the most-watched sporting event rather than directly engaging with the established system, as was the case with the disruptive LIV golf project.
The result for Saudi Arabia and FIFA was smooth progress toward victory on Wednesday, with limited opposition from soccer officials, albeit some from international players.
The steady flow of Saudi money into international football is expected to increase.
FIFA has created a new and higher World Cup sponsorship category for state oil company Aramco, and Saudi funds will be used to finance the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States, a pet project for Infantino.
North American soccer confederation CONCACAF signed a multi-year deal with PIF, Saudi stadiums host Super Cup matches for Italy and Spain, and nearly 50 FIFA member associations have signed working agreements with Saudi partners.
The lavish spending by PIF-owned Saudi clubs over the past two years on buying and paying players – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané – has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into European soccer.
This influence could be crucial in discussions about setting the months for the 2034 World Cup. The November-December period adopted by Qatar in 2022 to avoid extreme mid-summer heat will be complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan until mid-December and the hosting of the multi-sport Asian Games in Riyadh.
Still, January 2034 could be an option – and probably a better option for European clubs and leagues – after the International Olympic Committee said it saw little problem in a clash with the Salt Lake City Winter Games, which take place on February 10 to be opened in 2034. The IOC also has a major commercial deal with Saudi Arabia to host the new Esports Olympics.
&Copy 2024 The Canadian Press
