Fifa Confirms Saudi Arabia As 2034 World Cup Hosts
By Juliet Vincent
The 2034 men’s football World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, while Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be joint hosts for the 2030 tournament, world governing body Fifa has confirmed.
Three matches in the 2030 tournament will also be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark 100 years of the competition.
The hosts for both World Cups were confirmed at Wednesday’s Extraordinary Fifa Congress meeting following a vote.
All 211 of Fifa’s member nations were represented at the meeting over a video link.
The hosts for both tournaments, and of the 2030 centenary celebrations, were confirmed via two separate votes.
The first selected Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina as the centenary hosts.
The second confirmed the three hosts for 2030, as well as Saudi Arabia being awarded the 2034 tournament.
Nations gave their votes by ‘acclamation’ – clapping in front of their cameras via their video links.
In all three decisions just one voting option was available, and prior to the acclamation Fifa’s secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said “all 211 [member associations] have effectively cast their vote prior to the congress”.
The English Football Association showed its support for the bids – which were also backed by the Scottish and Welsh FAs – after saying it received assurances that all fans would be safe and welcome at a Saudi World Cup.
England’s FA said in a statement: “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.”
Norway opted to abstain because of “concerns regarding the current Fifa World Cup bidding process”, not because Saudi Arabia were named hosts.
Switzerland’s football association also asked for its observations to be included in the congress minutes.
On Tuesday, the Swiss FA had said it would approve the Saudi bid for the 2034 World Cup, but demanded human rights must be monitored by both Fifa and the international labour organisation.
The Danish Football Union (DBU) said it supported the overall package of the two World Cup bids but wants Fifa to oversee human rights improvements.
Jesper Moller, DBU chairman, said: “We would have liked to see more bids for both the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, and we are critical of the overall process.”
Saudi Arabia has been accused of ‘sportswashing’ in recent years – using its unprecedented spending on sport to improve the oil-producing kingdom’s reputation over its human rights record and environmental impact.
Of the 15 stadiums identified to hold matches at the 2034 World Cup, four have been built so far.
Amnesty International condemned the decision to hold the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia and released a joint statement on behalf of 21 separate organisations.
“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 Amnesty International’s head of labour rights and sport, Steve Cockburn.
“Based on clear evidence to date, Fifa knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless.
“The organisation risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.”
The Football Supporters’ Association said fans had “very serious misgivings about how these World Cups were awarded and questions around the supporter experience, particularly in Saudi Arabia”.
It added that human rights criticisms had been “brushed aside and concerns from LGBT+ supporters completely ignored” and said it had raised these issues with the FA.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino responded to criticism the organisation has received over the decisions.
“We are aware of critics and fears and I fully trust our hosts to address all open points,” he said.
“We have a transparency that will shape real and lasting change. That is what we expect and what we look forward to – social improvements and positive human rights impacts.
“That is one of the responsibilities of hosting a World Cup, and the world will of course be watching.” (BBC).
