Another winter World Cup looms after Saudi Arabia pass human rights evaluation

Saudi Arabia is expected to host the 2034 World Cup after FIFA approved its human rights record, setting up another winter tournament.

The Middle Eastern country is the only candidate to host the World Cup in ten years after Australia pulled out of the running last October.

The heat in the country will surely mean another winter World Cup after Qatar hosted in 2022.

FIFA members – all 210 of them – will now give a yes/no vote on December 11 with Saudi Arabia primed to host the biggest competition in sport.

Indeed, the sole bidder have been given the biggest of boosts after FIFA approved its human rights record, as per Standard Sport.

The country was classified as ‘medium risk’ for human rights – which is fine, apparently.

There are warnings that migrant workers could be at risk, including fatalities, when preparing for the tournament.

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Amnesty International are amongst those voicing their concerns over a Saudi World Cup.

Its head of labour rights and sport Steve Cockburn has said: “Fans will face discrimination, residents will be forcibly evicted, migrant workers will face exploitation, and many will die.”

The bid evaluation report – which secured a record score of 419.8 out of 500, better than 2026 hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States – states:

“It is important to note that the bid involves significant opportunities for positive human rights impact. There is a good potential that the tournament could serve as a catalyst for some of the ongoing and future reforms and contribute to positive human rights outcomes for people in Saudi Arabia and the region that go beyond the scope of the tournament itself.

“The bidder (Saudi) commits to ensuring a secure and inclusive tournament environment free from discrimination

“Addressing potential gaps with respect to freedom of expression would likely take significant effort and time.

“However, the event-time measures to guarantee these rights provide a basis for implementation by 2034.

“Taking into consideration local climatic conditions as well as the local calendar of sporting and cultural events taking place in 2034, the exercise of identifying the optimal window for the competition brings with it some complexities.

“Nevertheless, the substantial lead-in time to arrive at a men’s international match calendar for 2034 and the flexibility and spirit of collaboration demonstrated by the bidder serve as partially mitigating factors.

“While the extent of construction would have a material environmental impact, the bid provides a good foundation for delivering mitigation measures to address some of the environment-related challenges.”

There is a strong chance the tournament will be the second held in the winter after Qatar hosted mid-season in 2022.

The report highlights that daytime temperatures in Riyadh in June and July, when the finals should be played, exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Event timing is also scored as ‘medium risk’ as a consequence.

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