FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup hosts

ZURICH (AP):

FIFA YESTERDAY confirmed Audi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 World Cup, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for massive spending on global sports driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich by the football body’s president Gianni Infantino.

“The vote of the congress is loud and clear,” said Infantino, who had asked officials on a bank of screens to clap their hands at head level to show their support.

The decision was combined with approving 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 getting one of the 104 games.

The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930.

The decisions complete a mostly opaque 15-month bid process which Infantino helped steer toward Saudi Arabia without a rival candidate, without taking questions, and which human rights groups warn will put the lives of migrant workers at risk.

“We look forward to hosting an exceptional and unprecedented edition of the FIFA World Cup by harnessing our strengths and capabilities to bring joy to football fans around the world,” Prince Mohammed said in a statement.

FIFA and Saudi officials have said hosting the 2034 tournament can accelerate change, including more freedoms and rights for women, with Infantino yesterday calling the World Cup a “unique catalyst for positive social change and unity”.

“I fully trust our hosts to address all open points in this process and deliver a World Cup that meets the world’s expectations,” the FIFA president said.

An international collective of rights groups said FIFA made a “reckless decision” to approve Saudi Arabia without getting public assurances, and the Football Supporters Europe group said it was “the day football truly lost its mind”.

A fast-track path to victory was cleared last year by FIFA accepting the three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup. It meant that only football federations in Asia and Oceania were eligible for the 2034 contest, and FIFA gave countries less than four weeks to declare a bid. Only Saudi Arabia did.

The win will kick off a decade of scrutiny on Saudi labour laws and treatment of workers mostly from South Asia needed to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums, plus hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament.

Amnesty International said awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia represents “a moment of great danger” for human rights.

“FIFA’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of Labour Rights and Sport.

One of the stadiums is planned to be 350 metres above the ground in Neom – a futuristic city that does not yet exist – and another named for the crown prince is designed to be atop a 200-metre cliff near Riyadh.

During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record that was widely criticised this year at the United Nations.

Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA that it has not learned the lessons of Qatar’s much-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.

“At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham,” Cockburn said.