Saudi Arabia has officially been announced as the host for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The news comes after the 2030 World Cup was announced to be held between three nations, mostly in Morocco, Portugal and Spain with three one-off matches in three additional South American countries.
ESPN reported that the decision was announced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino after a virtual congress. For both 2030 and 2034 World Cups, each hand only a single bid and both were accepted by applause from more than 200 FIFA member federations. Infantino said in a statement regarding the 2030 World Cup, "We are bringing football to more countries and the number of teams has not diluted the quality. It actually enhanced the opportunity. The vote of the congress is loud and clear."
As for the 2034 tournament, Saudi Arabia was the only one to bid. Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, the president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee shared, "This is a historic moment for Saudi Arabia and a dream come true for all our 32 million people who simply love the game. The Kingdom is on a remarkable journey of transformation under Vision 2030 and today is another huge step forward that reflects and celebrates our progress while looking ahead to an even brighter future."
In 2030, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will each be hosting one match to start the tournament. The opening game will be in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo. Infantino said, "What better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary in 2030 than to have the World Cup in six countries, in three continents, with 48 teams and 104 epic matches. The world will stand still and will celebrate the 100 years of the World Cup. Congratulations to all the bidders for putting up a great dossier, but I would like to put on record my big, big thank you to the six confederation presidents and to their teams."
The news of Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup has garnered some backlash from human rights organizations including Amnesty International, migrant workers' groups from Nepal and Kenya and international trade unions. Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of labor rights and sport stated, "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." Despite this, the country vehemently denies any accusations of human rights abuses and claims it protects its national security through its laws.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup 2034
