wagi8 FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host
Updated:2024-12-16 03:35:46 Views:189
FILE – Saudi Arabia fans cheer as they hold pictures of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia before their 2014 FIFA World Cup Asia qualifying football match against Australia at the Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Stadium in the eastern port city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
ZURICH — Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed Wednesday 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 football body’s president Gianni Infantino.
Article continues after this advertisement“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.
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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.
Article continues after this advertisementThe South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930.
Article continues after this advertisementFILE – Saudi Arabia fans cheer as they hold pictures of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia before their 2014 FIFA World Cup Asia qualifying football match against Australia at the Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Stadium in the eastern port city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
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.
Article continues after this advertisement“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.
READ: Saudi Arabia’s billion-dollar football league a work in progress
1000 free spins no deposit Article continues after this advertisementFIFA and Saudi officials have said hosting the 2034 tournament can accelerate change, including more freedoms and rights for women, with Infantino on Wednesday calling the World Cup a “unique catalyst for positive social change and unity.”
“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.
FILE – FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, applauds during the medals ceremony after the football Club World Cup final match between Manchester City FC and Fluminense FC at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
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 football 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.
READ: Saudi Arabia suspends Fifa World Cup referee over bribery
The win will kick off a decade of scrutiny on Saudi labor 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.
“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 meters (yards) 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-meter cliff near Riyadh.
During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record that was widely criticized 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-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.
By 2050, demand for air conditioning, refrigerators, and refrigerated transport will increase seven-fold in Africa and four-fold in Asia, according to the UN Environment Programme and the World Bank’s private sector arm IFC.
“At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham,” Cockburn said.
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 $900 billion sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund, which he oversees.
“It’s amazing. The infrastructure, the stadiums, the conditions for the fans and everything. After what I see, I’m more convinced that 2034 will be the best World Cup ever,” Cristiano Ronaldo said in a recorded package posted on X.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been part of Saudi Arabia’s lavish spending on football — stunning the sport when agreeing to sign for Al Nassr in 2022 for a record-breaking salary reportedly worth up to $200 million a year.
Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of “sportswashing” the kingdom’s reputation.
The prince, known as MBS, has built close working ties to Infantino since 2017 — aligning with the organizer 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 Wednesday with limited pushback from football 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 football 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.
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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 Arabiawagi8, to host the new Esports Olympics.
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