Fifa issues glowing Saudi 2034 World Cup report despite human rights fears
Guardian1 day
FIFA Backs Saudi World Cup Bid
Above: The FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed on a plinth at Toronto Island on Aug. 22, 2024, in Toronto, Canada. Image copyright: Cole Burston/Contributor/FIFA via Getty Images
The Facts
Saudi Arabia received FIFA's highest-ever technical evaluation score of 4.2 out of 5 for its 2034 World Cup bid, surpassing the USA-Canada-Mexico 2026 bid score of 4.0.
The bid includes plans for 15 stadiums, including the 92,760-seat King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh. The venues will not be completed until 2032, but three new stadiums are expected to be finished in January 2027.
The Spin
Narrative A
The World Cup presents a significant opportunity to catalyze positive reforms in Saudi Arabia. The government has committed to protecting internationally recognized human rights, including labor rights, gender equality, and press freedom. The decade-long preparation period provides ample time to implement meaningful changes and deliver world-class infrastructure.
Narrative B
The FIFA evaluation is an astonishing whitewash of Saudi Arabia's human rights record, lacking meaningful commitments to prevent worker exploitation, forced evictions, and activist arrests. The tournament will inevitably be tarnished by exploitation, discrimination, and repression without fundamental human rights reforms.