In 10 years — give or take six months — the 2034 men’s World Cup will be played in Saudi Arabia.
Its confirmation as the tournament host will be waved through today (Wednesday) and has been expected since Australia withdrew from the bidding process in October last year — but it makes the development no less controversial.
Human-rights groups have criticised Saudi’s suitability to stage the finals since even before it formally expressed an interest last year in doing so — with many of the misgivings being similar to the questions posed towards the 2022 World Cup when that was awarded to Gulf region neighbour Qatar. These concerns include the treatment of migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Separate issues noted include sustainability, the weather and the supporter experience.
In its evaluation report, FIFA graded Saudi’s bid as the strongest to have ever been made by a potential World Cup host. To the fury of campaigners, they only graded the country’s human rights as a medium risk.
There is a sharp contrast between what FIFA and tournament organisers say the 2034 World Cup will be, and what many fear it will transform into.
At the previous World Cup in Qatar two years ago, FIFA asked federations to…
