FIFA fuels controversy in picking 2030, 2034 World Cup sites

"Today is a historic day of celebration," said FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the award of tournament rights, per The Guardian "We are learning to accept each other with our differences, and we respect each other. There are many things we can do better, in every country."

Both successful bids courted controversy on their way to ratification. The 2030 bid — featuring games in Europe, Africa and South America — was widely panned as quick way to ensure that the World Cup could return to Asia as soon as possible. FIFA's rules state that the same continent cannot host the World Cup within two competition cycles; by knocking out four of the six continents in 2026 and 2030, it artificially limited its 2034 bids to nations from Asia and Oceania.

Saudi Arabia's 2034 bid, then, felt inevitable from the start. It was made more so by last-minute changes to the bidding process that worked in the country's favor. 

FIFA announced that it was ready to receive hosting bids for the 2034 tournament on Oct. 5, 2023. But in a move that surprised the soccer world and violated its previous bidding procedures, FIFA warned that the process would close just 26 days later, on Oct. 31. 

Saudi Arabia appeared to be the only nation with previous knowledge of this tight turnaround. Australia, the only other qualified and interested host, was unable to complete a competitive bid in that short timeframe— and that meant Saudi Arabia bid unopposed for the 2034 World Cup.

The Saudi bid received harsh criticism from global human rights organizations. The bid also glossed over the nation's poor record of worker exploitation and press freedom. 

“Fifa’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk," said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty Internation's head of labor rights and sport (h/t The Guardian).

"Based on clear evidence to date, Fifa knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless," Cockburn added. "The organization risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.”

The successful Qatar World Cup bid, which was ratified in 2010 for the 2022 tournament, faced similar pushback from human rights groups.

The nation failed to deliver on its promises to protect World Cup workers or live up to its hospitality promises. The country banned visible LGBTQIA+ support and made a last-minute decision to ban alcohol sales at the tournament, throwing major sponsorship deals into disarray.

Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup represents a new peak for the country's investment in global sport. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund has invested heavily in Formula 1 (McLaren, Aston Martin, the Saudi Grand Prix), golf (the LIV tournament series) and soccer (Newcastle United). The country's World Cup, expected to feature 48 teams and draw billions of viewers from around the world, is its biggest sports investment yet.

Saudi soccer, meanwhile, is struggling. Its domestic league has received widespread criticism for its indiscriminate signing of unfit athletes such as Karim Benzema and Neymar. The influx of foreign players has shrunk the number of Saudi players getting regular minutes in the league.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is in danger of missing out on the 2026 World Cup altogether. That's quite the drop-off for a country that beat eventual champion Argentina in the 2022 Cup.

The next World Cup will take place in North America in 2026, with Canada, the United States and Mexico jointly hosting the largest tournament in the competition's history.