Saudi Arabia on track to host 2034 World Cup after FIFA approves human rights record

This decision was made public early on Saturday morning, paving the way for the country to officially be confirmed as the host next month.

The approval came in the form of a report written by FIFA’s Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom. He is a close ally of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The report gave Saudi Arabia a high rating of 4.2 out of 5, which shows there are no major obstacles preventing the country from hosting the tournament.

The FIFA report also mentioned that Saudi Arabia would introduce a series of human rights reforms to improve conditions for migrant workers, ensure press freedom, and guarantee the fair treatment of critics of the government – at least during the World Cup. 

This has raised concerns, as many critics believe Saudi Arabia’s human rights record still needs significant improvement.

FIFA President Infantino is eager for the official confirmation of Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host at FIFA's Congress in Zurich on December 11. However, the decision to release the report at 12:32 AM Central European Time shows that FIFA was careful about how this was handled.

In October 2023, FIFA set a tight deadline for bids to host the 2034 World Cup. The deadline was only eight weeks long, which meant that the only serious competitor to Saudi Arabia, Australia, had to withdraw. This gave Saudi Arabia a clear path to hosting the tournament.

The FIFA report explains that Saudi Arabia’s human rights record would not be judged based on the country’s past but instead on how well the nation addresses human rights issues in the context of hosting the tournament. 

This allowed FIFA to sidestep many criticisms about Saudi Arabia’s human rights history, which includes concerns over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

A large part of the 110-page FIFA report focuses on Saudi Arabia’s human rights situation. FIFA seemed to take a careful approach in balancing the country’s human rights issues with the need for financial support from Saudi Arabia. 

Saudi Arabia’s wealth from oil and gas is seen as crucial for the expansion of the World Cup and other FIFA projects, like the expanded Club World Cup.

The report includes several promises from Saudi Arabia, such as improvements in labor rights for migrant workers, protection of children’s rights, gender equality, and freedom of the press. 

However, there was no specific mention of LGBT rights, which remains a sensitive issue in Saudi Arabia.

One part of the report highlights that Saudi Arabia had promised to address the welfare of migrant workers. This comes after the controversy surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where many workers faced poor conditions and some even lost their lives. FIFA also pointed out that Saudi Arabia has made new laws to prevent torture, arbitrary arrest, and mistreatment of individuals.

FIFA noted that it would take significant effort to implement these human rights reforms in Saudi Arabia, but they believed that the country was committed to making progress. 

FIFA’s human rights evaluation was carried out by the law firm Clifford Chance, which also reviewed the country's legal framework.

Saudi Arabia’s government has promised that these reforms will be implemented as part of the country’s Vision 2030 plan. This long-term strategy, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to modernize the country over the next ten years. 

FIFA has stated that there is a good chance that the tournament will act as a “catalyst” for further human rights improvements in the country.

FIFA’s risk assessment of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid showed that its human rights record was considered a "medium" risk. 

This was similar to other categories, such as the country’s stadium infrastructure and accommodations, which were also rated as "medium risk." No category received a “high” risk rating. One area where Saudi Arabia received high marks was its plans for the international broadcast center, which scored 4.7 out of 5.

In addition to Saudi Arabia’s bid, FIFA also reviewed the joint bid from Morocco, Portugal, and Spain to host the 2030 World Cup, which will include matches in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. This bid was also rated 4.2 out of 5. The South American nations received a lower score of 3.6 but were still given approval to host some of the games.