FIFA World Cup venues: Saudi Arabia has been officially designated as the host for the 2034 men’s World Cup, while the 2030 tournament will take place in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

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In a significant development for the world of football, Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed as the host nation for the men’s 2034 FIFA World Cup. This announcement came during a virtual meeting of FIFA’s Congress on Wednesday, which rubber-stamped the kingdom’s bid despite ongoing concerns regarding its human rights record.

The online format of the meeting marked a departure from the traditional in-person confirmations of winning bids, raising eyebrows amid accusations of a lack of transparency in the selection process. Alongside the Saudi announcement, the Congress also ratified Spain, Portugal, and Morocco as co-hosts for the 2030 tournament. This upcoming event will see the opening three matches staged in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to commemorate the World Cup’s centenary year, as the inaugural tournament took place in Montevideo, Uruguay, back in 1930.

Saudi Arabia’s path to hosting the 2034 World Cup was largely unopposed, as no other countries entered the bidding process. The bidding began in October 2023, with a mere month allocated for nations to express their interest. Australia, the only other potential candidate, opted not to pursue a bid, leaving Saudi Arabia as the sole contender.

FIFA’s rotational rules stipulated that only countries from Asia and Oceania could bid for the 2034 edition, following the 2030 tournament’s multi-continent hosting across Europe, Africa, and South America. The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the USA, effectively ruling out any bids from North and Central America.

The confirmation of Saudi Arabia as hosts was further solidified by FIFA’s evaluation report released last month. Authored by Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom, the report awarded the Saudi bid an impressive average score of 4.2 out of 5, marking the highest score ever given to a World Cup bid. However, this accolade was met with outrage from environmental and human rights campaigners, particularly regarding the report’s assertion that hosting the tournament posed a ‘medium risk’ for human rights issues and a ‘low risk’ for environmental concerns, despite widespread opposition to these claims.

Similar to the controversial Qatar 2022 World Cup, there are significant concerns surrounding the treatment of migrant workers who will be tasked with constructing the necessary infrastructure for the tournament. Additionally, issues regarding the repression of dissidents, the treatment of women, and the criminalization of homosexuality have raised alarm among activists.

FIFA’s report suggested that staging the World Cup in Saudi Arabia could serve as a “catalyst for.. reforms” and highlighted the bid’s “good overall commitment to sustainability.” However, the online meeting did not follow the traditional voting process to ratify the winning bid; instead, it relied on applause from the other federations present.

Norway’s football federation had previously announced its intention to abstain from the ratification, citing concerns that the selection process “undermines FIFA’s own reforms for good governance” and “challenges trust in FIFA.” Nevertheless, the majority of other federations, including The FA, chose not to oppose or abstain from the ratification.

Looking ahead, the 2034 World Cup is expected to be held in winter, similar to the 2022 edition, due to the extreme climate conditions in Saudi Arabia. FIFA’s evaluation report acknowledged the “elevated risk in terms of event timing” if the tournament were to take place in the summer months.

The Saudi bid proposed a total of 15 stadiums across five host cities, with eight of these to be constructed between now and 2034, alongside three currently under construction. Notably, one of the proposed host cities, the ambitious Neom development, is yet to be built.

Saudi Arabia has previously hosted a FIFA tournament, the 2023 Club World Cup, and has made substantial investments in sports in recent years. Under the leadership of president Gianni Infantino, FIFA has fostered close ties with the kingdom, which includes a sponsorship deal with the state-owned oil giant Aramco. As the footballing world watches closely, the implications of this decision will undoubtedly reverberate for years to come.