Saudi Arabia will host the men’s football World Cup in 2034 while the 2030 edition will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one-off matches in three South American countries, world football’s governing body FIFA confirmed on Wednesday.
The decision was announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino following a virtual extraordinary Congress. The 2030 and 2034 World Cups each had only a single bid and both were confirmed by acclamation.
“The quantity of teams hasn’t affected the quality of football, which we are introducing to new nations. Regarding the 2030 World Cup, Infantino stated, “It actually improved the opportunity.”
A World Cup featuring 48 teams and 104 thrilling matches across six nations and three continents would be the ideal way to commemorate the 100th anniversary in 2030. The world will pause to commemorate the World Cup’s 100th anniversary.
“I would like to put on record my big, big thank you to the six Confederation presidents and their teams, but congratulations to all the bidders for putting up a great dossier,” he continued.
The 2030 World Cup will span three continents and six countries, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay hosting commemorative matches to commemorate the tournament’s centennial, according to the joint plan from Morocco, Spain, and Portugal.
The World Cup was initially hosted by Uruguay in 1930, and it has since been held in Argentina and Spain. Morocco, Portugal, and Paraguay will all be hosting for the first time.
Twelve years after neighbors Qatar hosted the 2022 edition, Saudi Arabia will host the quadrennial event four years later, making it the second Middle Eastern country to do so.
FIFA announced in 2023 that the 2034 World Cup would take place in Asia or Oceania, and the Asian Football Confederation endorsed Saudi Arabia’s proposal.
Additionally, Australia and Indonesia had discussed submitting a combined bid but withdrew.
FIFA made it clear that there will be no competition for any bid in 2023.
The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) criticized FIFA’s bidding procedure, calling it “flawed and inconsistent,” and announced a day ago that it will vote against the awarding of hosting rights by acclamation.
Criticism
Both bids have already drawn criticism.
Climate activists have criticized the 2030 World Cup’s decision to be held on three continents due to the increased emissions from the additional travel.
According to FIFA, steps would be taken to “mitigate the environmental impact.”
Similar to the Qatar World Cup, Saudi Arabia’s candidacy for 2034 has drawn criticism due to the nation’s human rights record and arid climate.
FIFA will probably have to move the tournament to the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, as it did in Qatar, due to the Saudi climate.
A World Cup held in Saudi Arabia will also provoke criticism of the country’s human rights record and give rise to claims of “sportswashing.”
Last month, FIFA was urged by Amnesty International and the Sport and Rights Alliance to put a stop to the Saudi Arabia hosting process unless significant modifications were presented before to the vote.
The monarchy has made significant investments in sports in recent years, but detractors, such as LGBTQ people and women’s rights organizations, claim it is using its Public Investment Fund to sportswash its human rights record.
21 organizations, including Amnesty International, Saudi diaspora human rights organizations, Nepali and Kenyan migrant worker organizations, and international trade unions, issued a unified statement denouncing Saudi Arabia’s confirmation as the 2034 World Cup host.
Steve Cockburn, Head of Labour Rights and Sport at Amnesty International, stated in a statement today that “many lives will be put at risk by FIFA’s careless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place.”
The country denies accusations of human rights abuses and says it protects its national security through its laws.
Saudi Arabia has also never previously hosted a tournament of this magnitude and will have to construct eight stadiums that will be used for the event.
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