FIFA awards 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia
FIFA has officially named Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup. Meanwhile, the 2030 World Cup will take place on three continents: Spain and Portugal in Europe, Morocco in Africa and Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in South America.
FIFA's announcement on Wednesday came as no surprise. Saudi Arabia has wanted to stage the World Cup since Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament. However, due to FIFA's rule requiring every other continent to host a World Cup before it could return to Asia, Saudi Arabia faced the prospect of waiting until the 2040s.
But FIFA found a loophole, by staging the 2030 edition of the World Cup on three continents at once. The main tournament will be hosted by Spain and Portugal in Europe and Morocco in Africa, with three matches in South America: one each in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
That left Oceania for the 2034 edition. But while the selection process was expected to take until 2027, FIFA surprised the bidding nations with a deadline of less than a month. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, had already prepared its bid, leaving it as the de facto sole candidate for hosting the tournament.
Sportswashing
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in the sport in recent years, even attracting superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo to play in its league. Human rights organisations call this "sportswashing", using major events to burnish its reputation and cover up its poor human rights record.
In a brief reaction, the Royal Belgian Football Association said it hoped the authorities would use "the power of football" to achieve "lasting positive change". It also said it would engage in dialogue with expert organisations, the Saudi Football Association and FIFA "to properly understand developments in the region and share expertise".
The next World Cup will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026. For the first time, 48 countries will take part in the tournament instead of the usual 32.
© PHOTO KHALED DESOUKI / AFP
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