FIFA, soccer's world governing body, released a report Friday night evaluating Saudi Arabia's bid for the 2034 Men's World Cup, giving Saudi Arabia a higher score on the bid requirements than the successful joint bid of Canada, the United States and Mexico. Ta. The 2026 edition declared the human rights risk assessment to be “medium.”
FIFA said in its report that the tournament had “good potential” to act as a “catalyst” for reform within Saudi Arabia and “contribute to a positive outcome for human rights”. Amnesty International said FIFA's observations were an “astonishing whitewashing” of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
The bid report also declared that the bid by oil-rich Saudi Arabia demonstrated a “good commitment to sustainability”, although FIFA said the Saudi bid was “high risk” in terms of timing due to the country's climate. It is acknowledged that it brings about
FIFA, which normally hosts the men's World Cup in June and July, said bidders did not specify the proposed duration of the tournament but promised to work together to “ensure the success of the tournament.” , suggesting that a repeat of the 2022 tournament could be seen in Qatar. The event has been moved to the winter season for the safety of participants and supporters.
FIFA ranks World Cup bids on a five-point scale, giving Saudi Arabia's bid a score of 4.2, higher than United's so-called 2026 bid of 4.0. Brazil, which successfully bid for the 2027 Women's World Cup, received a score of 4.0, while the unsuccessful joint bid of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany received a score of 3.7.
FIFA released the report in an email to the media on Saturday morning at 12:33 a.m. CET. Almost immediately, reports appeared in English-speaking media outlets in the Middle East, including the Saudi Gazette, announcing that Saudi Arabia's bid had received the highest ever score from FIFA for World Cup bids.
Saudi Arabia's bid for the 2034 World Cup was already seen as almost inevitable, as they were the only contenders for the tournament. The results developed after FIFA announced its bid for a mega edition of the 2030 World Cup, to be held in three continents (Africa, Europe and South America) and six countries (Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay).
As a result, these three continents were excluded from bidding for the next World Cup in 2034, and FIFA's federation rotation principle rules out a return to North America for the 2026 joint tournament between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This gave Saudi Arabia a clear advantage in the absence of rivals in other parts of Asia and Oceania, but it was widely seen as a formality by member states at the FIFA General Assembly on 11 December. It was subject to voting.
According to the FIFA report, their assessment “draws from a variety of sources, including the bidder's human rights strategy, mandated situational assessments, direct commitments from the host country and city, and all documentation in the host contract.” All of which include, inter alia, the following provisions: Respect for human rights related to competition. ”
Tennis stars Ons Jabour (far left) and Aryna Sabalenka tour Saudi Arabia's 2034 bid exhibition in October (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images for WTA)
but, The Athletic The commission said last month that 11 organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Saudi diaspora and human rights organizations specializing in the Gulf region, completed an independent contextual assessment prepared for Saudi Arabia. clarified that they have expressed major concerns about the reliability of the FIFA report. Arabian Football Federation on the 2034 FIFA World Cup”.
An independent situation assessment prepared by the Saudi arm of global law firm Clifford Chance found that a number of internationally recognized human rights were excluded from the assessment, citing “Saudi Arabia's lack of ratification of the relevant treaties”. Either that is not the case, or the Saudi Football Federation is the reason.” I didn't realize they were “applied” to the assessment. ”
This will not delve into issues that many consider relevant to Saudi Arabia, particularly freedom of expression, association and assembly, as well as LGBTQI+ discrimination, the ban on trade unions, the right to religious freedom, and forced evictions. It meant avoided.
The report states that the scope of the assessment was “determined by the Saudi Football Federation in agreement with FIFA,” suggesting that FIFA itself approved of the inaction. Both the Saudi Football Association and FIFA did not respond to inquiries. The Athletic at that time.
“Saudi Arabia's already dire human rights record has worsened under the de facto rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” the rights group said in a press release, adding that “the country's already dire human rights record has worsened under the de facto rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” adding, “Mass executions, torture, enforced disappearances, serious “There has been a sudden increase in the number of incidents.'' Restrictions on freedom of expression, suppression of women's rights under male guardianship, discrimination against LGBTI+ people, and the killing of hundreds of migrants on the Saudi-Yemeni border. ”
“As expected, FIFA's assessment of Saudi Arabia's World Cup bid is an astonishing whitewash of the country's atrocious human rights record,” added Steve Cockburn, head of labor rights and sport at Amnesty International. Ta. “There are no meaningful promises to prevent the exploitation of workers, the eviction of residents, or the arrest of activists.
“By ignoring the clear evidence of serious human rights risks, FIFA will bear great responsibility for the violations and abuses that will occur over the next decade. Fundamental human rights reform is urgent in Saudi Arabia. “The 2034 World Cup will inevitably be tainted by exploitation, discrimination and oppression.”
FIFA's bid assessment, published on Saturday morning, relies heavily on Clifford Chance's report. There is no mention of the terms “LGBTQI+,” “sexuality,” or “sexual orientation,” and the only mention of women's rights within Saudi Arabia is the growth of women's sports in the country and the inclusion of women in soccer. Seen in references to participation. Saudi.
The bid evaluation said Saudi Arabia had “made significant progress in engaging women and girls, elites, and promoting grassroots participation.”
A model of the Jeddah Central Development at the 2034 Saudi World Cup exhibition in Riyadh (Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)
The bids are ranked low, medium, and high, giving a medium level of risk to the stadium, transportation, accommodation, and even the aforementioned “timing of the event.” Stadiums have been given a rating of 4.1 out of 5, even though eight of the 15 stadiums proposed for the tournament are new construction. FIFA said this indicated a “slightly elevated” risk profile.
The bid evaluation stated that the Saudi bid “respects and protects internationally recognized human rights in relation to competition, including safety and security, labor rights (particularly fundamental labor rights and migrant rights); The government has submitted a promise that it will implement the plan. labor), children's rights, gender equality and non-discrimination, and freedom of expression (including freedom of the press).
FIFA said Saudi Arabia is committed to providing “fair wages” as well as “decent working and living conditions to all individuals involved in the preparation and delivery of the FIFA World Cup. This includes: This includes establishing a worker welfare system to monitor compliance with regulations.” Labor Rights Standards for Tournament-Related Workers.”
They also said Saudi Arabia would “cooperate with the International Labor Organization (ILO) regarding its commitment to complying with international labor standards in all activities related to competition.” The treatment and rights of migrant workers has become one of the biggest topics of discussion before and during the 2022 World Cup, which will be held in neighboring Qatar.
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At the same time, FIFA released a report on single bids for the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted by Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. The 2030 bid, which has no rivals, will also be decided by a vote by member states on December 11. It also received a rating of 4.2 out of 5, with the medium risk factors being the stadium, accommodation, transportation, and the tournament's legal framework.
The “sustainable event management'' and “environmental protection'' risks of the competition, which is held across three continents, were judged to be “low.''
The report states: “The bidder's environmental impact assessment and initial carbon footprint assessment, together with the outlined commitments, targets and mitigation measures, provide an effective strategy to manage the negative impacts of the global tournament. “It provides a good foundation for development.” and protect the environment. ”
(Top photo: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
