The 2034 men's Football World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. A decision by Fifa that has already drawn widespread criticism.
Fifa has officially confirmed the host nations for the 2030 and 2034 men's Football World Cups: the former will be held across Spain, Portugal and Morocco, aside from three opening matches in South America; the latter, meanwhile, will be hosted by Saudi Arabia. This decision has drawn widespread criticism, particularly from human rights organisations, which argue that extending a hand to Riyadh means exposing the flank to abuses against migrant workers, as was already seen in Qatar in 2022. Beyond that, the decision to award the World Cup to Saudi Arabia has been broadly condemned by professional players, fans and climate activists, who say that "the greatest football tournament now represents harm, pollution and greed".
On 11 December 2024, during the extraordinary congress of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa), it was confirmed that Saudi Arabia will be the host country for the 2034 World Cup. Players, fans and climate activists argue that this decision is part of a broader trend on Fifa's part, one that would demonstrate a complete disregard for climate change and the growing environmental impact of football. This trend was already apparent with the upcoming 2026 World Cup, organised across 16 cities spread between Canada, the United States and Mexico, which — in addition to being expanded with 16 extra teams and 40 more matches — will entail enormous air travel for players and fans alike. Furthermore, the 2030 tournament will take place across six countries on three different continents, with an environmental footprint even larger than its predecessors. The 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, with the construction of 11 new stadiums, will continue this trend.
Since Fifa president Gianni Infantino pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, his organisation has staged the most polluting event in history at Qatar 2022. Now, the rapprochement between Fifa and Saudi Arabia comes after a deal to promote the Saudi state oil company Saudi Aramco as a sponsor of the next two World Cup tournaments. As an oil-rich state that has consistently sought to obstruct international progress in the fight against climate change — including at two recent international summits — the awarding of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia is considered dangerous for fans, players and the planet.
One of the first to condemn Fifa's sponsorship deal with Saudi Aramco with an open letter was Dutch professional footballer Tessel Middag, who plays for Scottish club Rangers Football Club: "We sent a message to Fifa, loud and clear, that its willingness to allow Saudi Arabia to improve its reputation through football is isolating players, fans and the planet. Securing a future for football, in which everyone can play and enjoy it, requires real leadership from the top. The decision on the 2034 World Cup is further proof that football deserves better." The letter was co-signed by 130 female footballers.
"There is no doubt that the awarding of the 2034 Fifa World Cup represents the culmination of years of acquisitions, mergers and sponsorship deals in global sport for Saudi Arabia," said Freddie Daley of the organisation Cool down sport for Climate action network. "This targeted and deliberate strategy has given the Kingdom the opportunity to rehabilitate its image and distract attention from its poor human rights record and its persistent efforts to obstruct global climate negotiations and block fossil fuel consumption for decades to come. Football is already being hit by floods and droughts caused by fossil fuels, yet Fifa seems intent on adding further fuel to the fire."
Amnesty International — together with more than 20 other organisations — also published a joint statement condemning this decision, calling it "dangerous" for human rights. Among the signatories are human rights organisations from the Saudi diaspora, migrant worker groups from Nepal and Kenya, international trade unions, fan representatives and global human rights organisations. "On the basis of clear evidence, Fifa knows that many workers will be exploited and that some of them will lose their lives if significant reforms are not introduced in Saudi Arabia. Yet the Federation has chosen to press ahead regardless, risking taking on heavy responsibility for the human rights violations that will result," said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of labour rights and sport.
On 11 November, Amnesty, together with the organisation Sport & Rights Alliance, had called on Fifa to suspend the vote on awarding the 2034 World Cup following a detailed analysis of the human rights risks in the country and the significant gaps in the strategy proposed by the Saudi football federation. In addition, Amnesty denounced the failure to compensate migrant workers involved in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a step that ignored the recommendations of an independent report commissioned by Fifa itself. "At every stage of the bidding process, Fifa's commitment to respecting human rights has proved to be a farce. At the same time, the continued refusal to compensate migrant workers exploited in Qatar leaves no confidence that lessons have been learned from the past," Cockburn concluded.
According to Amnesty, Fifa's selection process is also flawed in the awarding of the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with significant human rights problems left unresolved. From excessive militarisation to legalised discrimination, forced evictions and labour rights violations, much remains to be done to ensure that future football tournaments are sustainable both environmentally and in human terms.
Any hope of reducing the massive pollution impact of football, and preserving a safe future for playing the game, requires smaller tournaments with less construction and air travel. Instead, Fifa and Saudi Arabia make misleading claims of "carbon neutrality" based on deeply flawed CO2 offsetting schemes, while continuing to embrace fossil fuels. Ultimately, the awarding of Saudi Arabia as host for 2034 embodies the most insidious example of a model that dominates global football: that of "sportswashing".
