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‘Dark day’: FIFA names Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host; Spain, Portugal and Morocco to co-host 2030 edition

Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s football, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for massive spending on global sports driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich by the soccer body’s president Gianni Infantino.

“The vote of the congress is loud and clear,” said Infantino, who had asked officials on a bank of screens to clap their hands at head level to show their support.

The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games.

A Drone show and fireworks at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) for the win of Saudi Arabia bid for 2034 FIFA World Cup as a Host Nation on December 11, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Christophe Viseux/Getty Images for Saudi Arabian Football Federation) Getty Images for Saudi Arabian F

The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930.

The decisions complete a mostly opaque 15-month bid process which Infantino helped steer toward Saudi Arabia without a rival candidate, without taking questions, and which human rights groups warn will put the lives of migrant workers at risk.

“We look forward to hosting an exceptional and unprecedented edition of the FIFA World Cup by harnessing our strengths and capabilities to bring joy to football fans around the world,” Prince Mohammed said in a statement.

FIFA and Saudi officials have said hosting the 2034 tournament can accelerate change, including more freedoms and rights for women, with Infantino calling the World Cup a “unique catalyst for positive social change and unity.”

'Dark day': FIFA names Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host; Spain, Portugal and Morocco to co-host 2030 edition

Members of the public celebrate. Getty Images for Saudi Arabian F

“I fully trust our hosts to address all open points in this process, and deliver a World Cup that meets the world’s expectations,” the FIFA president said.

An international collective of rights groups said FIFA made a “reckless decision” to approve Saudi Arabia without getting public assurances, and the Football Supporters Europe group said it was “the day football truly lost its mind.”

A fast-track path to victory was cleared last year by FIFA accepting the three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup. It meant only federations in Asia and Oceania were eligible for the 2034 contest, and FIFA gave countries less than four weeks to declare a bid. Only Saudi Arabia did.

The win will kick off a decade of scrutiny on Saudi labour laws and treatment of workers mostly from South Asia needed to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums, plus hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament.

Amnesty International said awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia represents “a moment of great danger” for human rights.

'Dark day': FIFA names Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host; Spain, Portugal and Morocco to co-host 2030 edition

A view of the FIFA World Cup Winner's Trophy with the flag of FIFA World Cup 2034 host Saudi Arabia during trophy shoot at the Home of FIFA on December 11, 2024 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Harold Cunningham – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) FIFA via Getty Images

“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,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Labor Rights and Sport."

One of the stadiums is planned to be 350 metres above the ground in Neom — a futuristic city that does not yet exist — and another named for the crown prince is designed to be atop a 200-metre cliff near Riyadh.

During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record that was widely criticised this year at the United Nations.

Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA it has not learned the lessons of Qatar’s much-criticised preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.

“At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham," Cockburn said.

Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporters Europe (FSE), said of the 2034 decision: "Today is a dark day for human rights and football as a whole.

"This decision is scandalous and yet another example of how fans' concerns about tournaments we are travelling to are repeatedly ignored.

"FIFA and its affiliated associations seem to have learnt nothing from the mistakes of the past and are not even able to comply with their own regulations regarding human rights."

The kingdom plans to spend tens of billion of dollars on projects related to the World Cup as part of the crown prince’s sweeping Vision 2030 project that aims to modernize Saudi society and economy. At its core is spending on sports by the $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund, which he oversees. Critics have called it “sportswashing” of the kingdom's reputation.

'Dark day': FIFA names Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host; Spain, Portugal and Morocco to co-host 2030 edition

FIFA President Gianni Infantino. FIFA via Getty Images

The prince, known as MBS, has built close working ties to Infantino since 2017 — aligning with the organiser of sport’s most-watched event rather than directly confronting the established system as it did with the disruptive LIV Golf project.

The result for Saudi Arabia and FIFA has been smooth progress toward the win with limited pushback from officials, though some from women international players.

The steady flow of Saudi cash into international football is set to increase.

FIFA created a new and higher World Cup sponsor category for state oil firm Aramco, and Saudi funding is set to underwrite the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States that is a pet project for Infantino.

North American body CONCACAF signed a multi-year deal with PIF, Saudi stadiums host Super Cup games for Italy and Spain, and nearly 50 FIFA member federations have signed working agreements with Saudi counterparts.

Lavish spending by PIF-owned Saudi clubs in the past two years buying and paying players – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané – put hundreds of millions of dollars into European football.

That influence could be key in talks to agree which months to play the 2034 World Cup. The November-December slot taken by Qatar in 2022 to avoid extreme midsummer heat is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games.

Still, January 2034 could be an option — and likely better for European clubs and leagues —after the International Olympic Committee said it saw few issues in clashing with the Salt Lake Winter Games opening Feb. 10, 2034. The IOC also has a major commercial deal with Saudi Arabia, to host the new Esports Olympics.

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