FIFA has formally ratified Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup, confirming the tournament will be held in the Middle Eastern nation for the first time. This decision was passed at an online FIFA Congress on Wednesday without any contest.
The process has drawn significant criticism as Saudi Arabia emerged as the sole bidder after FIFA combined the ratification of the 2030 and 2034 tournaments into a single vote. Furthermore, FIFA’s rotation system effectively restricted the 2034 bidding window to countries in Asia and Oceania, giving interested nations less than a month to respond.
Saudi Arabia submitted its bid on the same day the new arrangement was publicized, and Australia eventually withdrew as a potential rival.
Critics argue that awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia is a clear example of ‘sportswashing,’ a strategy to improve the image of an authoritarian regime often criticized for human rights violations, the criminalization of homosexuality, and restrictions on free speech and women’s rights.
Despite these concerns, FIFA’s bid evaluation team gave the Saudi bid the highest-ever score and deemed it only ‘medium risk’ on human rights, a report Amnesty International called an “astonishing whitewash.”
The 2034 tournament will be the first time the expanded 48-team World Cup is hosted entirely by a single country. This hosting opportunity is the latest example of Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing influence in global sports, which already includes Formula 1, boxing, golf (via LIV Golf), and ownership of Premier League side Newcastle through its Public Investment Fund (PIF).
