FIFA urged to delay Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid

Victor Petkov

Head of Content

Last Updated: Nov 11 | 3:33 AM

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FIFA urged to delay Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid

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The call from Amnesty and SRA comes after an analysis of the human rights in the country

Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) have issued a strong call for FIFA to halt its 2034 World Cup host selection process, urging the organization to delay any decision on awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia until comprehensive human rights reforms are confirmed. Saudi Arabia is currently the only bidder for the 2034 tournament, following FIFA’s announcement last year of a tri-nation 2030 World Cup across Morocco, Spain, and Portugal.

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Fifa urged to halt vote on 2034 hosting rights – Migrant workers will die if Saudi Arabia awarded World Cup, says Amnesty

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The call from Amnesty and SRA comes after an analysis of the human rights frameworks put forward by the bidding countries. In a newly released report, both organizations express significant concerns over the host country’s potential impacts, stating that neither bid adequately addresses the human rights obligations FIFA requires. However, they emphasized that the risks are especially severe in Saudi Arabia, where hosting the World Cup could contribute to “severe and widespread” human rights abuses.

Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of labor rights and sport, highlighted the potential dangers, stating: “There will be a real and predictable human cost to awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without obtaining credible guarantees of reform. Fans will face discrimination… migrant workers will face exploitation, and many will die.” He went on to insist that FIFA must postpone the decision until credible protections are in place, to avoid “worsening an already dire situation.”

FIFA has responded by affirming that the bid evaluation reports for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups will be released prior to an extraordinary Congress on December 11. A spokesperson noted that FIFA is carrying out a “thorough bidding process” for both tournaments, comparable to previous selections for events like the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and the 2026 World Cup in North America.