FIFA announced Tuesday that the men’s 2034 World Cup is to be played in Saudi Arabia.
The decision came shortly after Australia decided not to place a hosting bid – no other country formally declared interest in hosting.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has built close ties to Saudi soccer and the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Associated Press.
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“Football unites the world like no other sport, and the FIFA World Cup is the perfect showcase for a message of unity and inclusion, as well as providing an important illustration of how different cultures can be together and can learn and better understand one another,” Infantino said in a statement on Instagram.
“As we live in an increasingly divided and aggressive world, we show once again that football, the leading global sport, unites like nothing else. We all need these occasions of unity and the upcoming FIFA World Cups provide a unique force for good in this respect.”
Qatar hosted the tournament last year, which was won by Argentina, but to much criticism as it was dogged by years-long allegations of rights abuses of migrant workers needed to build its stadiums.
With the tournament in Saudi Arabia 11 years from now, human rights activists are worried.
“FIFA must now make clear how it expects hosts to comply with its human rights policies,” Amnesty International official Steve Cockburn said in a statement Tuesday. “It must also be prepared to halt the bidding process if serious human rights risks are not credibly addressed.”
The possibility that FIFA could award Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup despite its appalling human rights record and closed door to any monitoring exposes FIFA’s commitments to human rights as a sham,” said Minky Worden, Human Rights Watch director of global initiatives.
Saudi Arabia has aimed to become a major player in global sports – the Public Investment Fund financially backs the LIV Golf league and got several of golf’s biggest stars to defect from the PGA Tour for reported nine-figure deals.
Cristiano Ronaldo recently signed a deal worth $75 million per year to play in Saudi Arabia.
The next World Cup is to be played in North America, with the final likely taking place at either MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, or SoFi Stadium in Englewood, California.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
