Fifa Suggests 2034 World Cup Could Aid Human Rights in Saudi Arabia

Fifa has published its assessment report regarding Saudi Arabia’s uncontested proposal to stage the men’s World Cup in 2034. This development clears the path for the kingdom to be officially confirmed as the host nation next month, with plans to refurbish facilities such as the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah ahead of the event. Notwithstanding persistent worries about the nation’s human rights situation, the sport’s governing body granted the bid “an average score of 4.2 out of 5,” which marks the highest rating ever given. According to Fifa, hosting the competition in Saudi Arabia posed a ‘medium’ human rights risk, asserting that it possessed “good potential to act as a catalyst” for reforms. Advocacy organizations promptly denounced the assessment of the bid. Furthermore, Fifa maintained that, notwithstanding the extensive construction initiatives undertaken by the world’s largest oil exporter, the Saudi bid demonstrated “a good overall commitment to sustainability” and was categorized as ‘low risk’ concerning environmental safeguarding. Acknowledging that summer temperatures “can exceed 40C,” Fifa conceded an “elevated risk in terms of event timing” due to Saudi Arabia’s climate, and stated that the bid “does not stipulate a proposed window” for the competition’s schedule. The organization noted that “the exercise of identifying the optimal window for the competition brings with it some complexities.” Nevertheless, amidst predictions that the event will likely need to be held during the winter months, similar to Qatar in 2022, the report indicates that Saudi Arabia “pledges to collaborate closely… to determine the optimal timing for the competition.” Fifa also stated that the 2030 World Cup bid, planned across three continents, surpassed the minimum hosting criteria, though it highlighted that it would result in “a significant negative impact on the climate.” The 2030 tournament is slated to be jointly hosted by Spain and Portugal in Europe, and Morocco in Africa, with the initial three matches occurring in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay in South America to commemorate the World Cup’s centenary. The formal approval of the host nations for both tournaments is scheduled for a Fifa Congress on 11 December. Since 2021, Saudi Arabia has allocated approximately £5bn towards sports, a move initiated by the country’s Crown Prince as a central component of his ‘Vision 2030’ strategy aimed at economic diversification. The nation has organized numerous significant sports events, spanning football, Formula 1, golf, and boxing. Concurrently, its Public Investment Fund has established the breakaway LIV Golf series, acquired control of four Saudi Pro League clubs, and bought Newcastle United. Nevertheless, the Gulf kingdom faces accusations of leveraging its sports investments and the staging of prominent events to enhance its global standing. It has drawn criticism for human rights violations, including the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal