Saudi Arabia has been announced as the host nation for the 2034 Men’s World Cup, with FIFA rubber-stamping the confirmation of the 2030 and 2034 editions of the tournament on Dec. 11.
A joint bid involving Morocco, Portugal and Spain, combined with one game each in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to mark the centenary of the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, will be confirmed by FIFA for 2030 due to being the only bid for that competition’s hosting rights.
As the only candidate to stage the 2034 Men’s World Cup, Saudi Arabia will become the second Middle East nation to host the tournament after Qatar in 2022. And just as Qatar 2022 was shrouded in controversy from the moment the tiny Arabian Gulf state was confirmed as host in December 2010, the decision to take football’s biggest event to Saudi Arabia has also raised questions.
Even though the 2034 Men’s World Cup is still a decade away, there are plenty of issues surrounding Saudi Arabia 2034, including human rights, such as the treatment of women and the LGBTQIA+ community, the requirement to build stadiums and infrastructure, the potential climate, depending on the tournament would be played, and the overall experience.
Why was Saudi Arabia the only bid for 2034?
When the bidding process for 2030 and 2034 was announced in…
