Even though the Middle Eastern country still needs to build several of the venues suggested for the tournament, FIFA gave Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid a higher technical grade than the 2026 joint bid by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Although eight stadiums still need to be constructed, the 2034 proposal achieved an overall average score of 4.2 out of 5, according to FIFA’s bid evaluation report, issued early on Saturday morning. Three new stadiums are anticipated to be ready in time for the Asian Cup, which begins in January 2027, although none of the sites, including the proposed 92,760-seat King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh, will be finished by 2032.
FIFA endorses Saudi Arabia’s 2034 bid
The 2026 bid, on the other hand, received a score of 4.0 despite having originally suggested 23 stadiums, all of which had already been constructed. In the end, 16 host cities were revealed for the 2026 World Cup, several of which were already existing NFL stadiums. The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium in the Qiddiya development and Neom Stadium in “The Line” development are two examples of ambitious stadium developments incorporated into distinctive sites in the [Saudi] bid, according to FIFA’s study. The “proposed configuration and location” would “require a reimagining of operations, with some associated unknowns or challenges at this moment in time,” the report continued, despite the “one-of-a-kind” stadium projects in Saudi Arabia having a lot of promise. A key component of Prince Mohammed’s Vision 2030 strategy to establish new sources of economic growth outside of oil is Neom, an urban and industrial development in the Red Sea that is almost the size of Belgium and is home to around nine million people. However, some of the plans, such as The Line, a futuristic metropolis inside Neom that stretches 170 kilometers (106 miles) into the desert between mirrored walls, have had to be trimmed back because of growing expenses. Therefore, if the offer is accepted, it would be essential to keep a close eye on and assist these initiatives from start to finish, Fifa continued.
FIFA’s evaluation of Saudi preparations
According to FIFA, the 2026 bid had a low degree of risk. Stadiums alone account for 35% of the total score given to bids. The Saudi proposal, however, was moderately risky. According to FIFA, “there is an elevated risk profile due to the overall scale of the stadium projects, as well as the novel designs and configurations proposed in some cases.” It also said that Saudi Arabia had a capable staff and enough time to complete the projects, and thus the risk was reduced. Although each has just one proposal, votes to ratify the 2030 and 2034 World Cups are scheduled for next month at the FIFA Congress. For 2034, Saudi Arabia is the only bidder, while for 2030, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal are the only bidders. Additionally, the 2030 World Cup bid scored 4.2. FIFA stated that although the Saudi offer did not specify a suggested World Cup frame, it would work with interested parties to “determine the optimal timing” for the competition. The 2034 World Cup could be moved to a winter date due to the country’s desert environment, similar to what FIFA did with the 2022 tournament in neighboring Qatar.
Leveraging Football for image building
Amnesty International’s head of labor rights and sport, Steve Cockburn, responded to FIFA’s assessment by saying: “As anticipated, [this review] of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid is an astonishing whitewash of the country’s atrocious human rights record.” No significant promises have been made to stop the exploitation of labor, the eviction of people, or the detention of activists. “Fifa is likely to be held largely accountable for the abuses and breaches that will occur over the next ten years since it has ignored the obvious evidence of serious human rights dangers. Saudi Arabia has to implement fundamental human rights reforms immediately, or else exploitation, discrimination, and persecution will unavoidably mar the 2034 World Cup.
FIFA’s approach to other host nations
Saudi Arabia made pledges to “respect, protect, and fulfill internationally recognized human rights,” according to the bid report from FIFA. “Safety and security, migrant workers’ labor rights, children’s rights, gender equality, and non-discrimination, as well as freedom of expression (including press freedom)” are among these. The “astonishing whitewash” that FIFA has been accused of in connection with Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup has drawn criticism. FIFA’s positive assessment of the Middle Eastern country was made public late Friday, paving the way for its uncontested candidacy to be approved at the FIFA Congress on December 11. They warned that migrant workers may die if major improvements were not made, but the Saudi proposal was unexpectedly classified as medium risk on human rights grounds. Furthermore, although there is no specific date for the event and Riyadh experiences intense heat of above 40 degrees Celsius during the usual World Cup months, it was deemed low risk in terms of sustainability and environmental protection.