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The governing body of world football, FIFA, have issued a report into Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup. The bid can now be considered by FIFA’s congress to host the 2034 World Cup after receiving a score of 4.2 out of 5.
The bid received a higher technical score than the USA, Canada, and Mexico’s bid for the 2026 World Cup. Amnesty International have called the report by FIFA an “astonishing whitewash of the country’s atrocious human rights record.”
For the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it was reported that over 6,000 migrant workers died building new stadiums due to the extreme heat between 2011 and 2020. They were mainly men from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
There is concern that there will be a similar issue in Saudi Arabia.
Human Rights Watch have said that women’s rights are not respected in Saudi Arabia. Women cannot freely travel outside the country without a male guardian and do not have the freedom to choose a partner.
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Migrant Workers
Saudi Arabia would need to build eight new stadiums to host the World Cup.
For the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it was reported that over 6,000 migrant workers died building new stadiums due to the extreme heat between 2011 and 2020. They were mainly men from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
There is concern that there will be a similar issue in Saudi Arabia. 21,000 workers were reported to have died building Saudi’s new futuristic city Neom since 2017. Saudi Arabia has said these claims are false.
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LGBTQ+ rights
Same sex relationships are illegal in Saudi Arabia. The UK government warns any LGBTQ+ travellers to limit public displays of affection.
Many LGBTQ+ fans skipped the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to their laws.
At the 2022 World Cup, players were banned from wearing the rainbow armbands during games by FIFA. If they did, they would receive a yellow card.
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Women’s Rights
Human Rights Watch have said that women’s rights are not respected in Saudi Arabia. Women cannot freely travel outside the country without a male guardian and do not have the freedom to choose a partner.
A letter signed by more than 100 female footballers urged FIFA to drop its sponsorship deal with state owned oil company Saudi Aramco. The players wanted a sponsor whose values “align more with gender equality, human rights and a safe planet for everyone”.
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The Environment
Saudi Aramco has been criticised for their climate credentials. Independent climate group Carbon Tracker said Saudi Aramco “has the weakest climate pledges among major listed oil and gas companies”.
In the assessment of Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the tournament, FIFA scored the environmental risk low. It said “the extent of construction would have a material environmental impact” but the bid “provides a good foundation for delivering mitigation measures to address some of the environment-related challenges”.