Saudi Arabia to host 2034 FIFA World Cup

Saudi Arabia was officially approved on Wednesday as the host country of the FIFA World Cup in 2034. This comes after an online meeting of 211 members of International Federation of Football Association (FIFA).

In addition to the World Cup, Saudi Arabia will host the Asian Cup in 2027, the Asian Winter Games in 2029, and the Asia Games in 2034. The country also has long-term ambitions to host larger events, including the Women's World Cup, according to Sky News. 

The hosts of the 2030 World Cup were also chosen, with Spain, Portugal, and Morocco to jointly host the games. In addition, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina will each host an opening game to mark 100 years since the first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930, which the hosts won. This trend will begin as the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host the 2026 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia publicly announced its bid to host the World Cup for the first time in August, after FIFA rapidly pushed a controversial process for hosting the 2030 and 2034 tournaments. But the plan for the 2034 tournament has led to criticism from activist groups, who argue that Saudi laws will not protect overseas workers. The tournament will require the construction of eight new stadiums, 15 accommodations, and 175,000 hotel rooms, which will largely rely on migrant workers. FIFA critics also insist that a Saudi-based World Cup risks repeating the rights violations seen during a decade of similar preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Last month, Amnesty International and the Sports and Rights Alliance called on FIFA to halt the selection process for Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 tournament, unless major human rights reforms are announced before the vote. Amnesty International accused the country of a blatant trend of using sports to improve the reputation of a country or organization and often to distract from negative actions. A Stonewall spokesperson said that LGBTQ+ fans would feel unsafe about the likelihood of participating in the 2034 tournament.

The head of the Saudi Arabian proposal, Hamad Albelawi, hit back at criticism early this month, saying the country has made significant progress in human rights while aiming to attract "more fans than ever" to the event. He stated Saudi Arabia is committed to transforming its social and economic landscape under its Vision 2030 - a government plan announced back in 2016. Albelawi also emphasized that the tournament will be held in a "safe and family-friendly environment" with no sale of alcohol - which is prohibited in the country.