The decision still needs to be ratified, but it can’t really go wrong: the 2034 FIFA World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. As with Qatar, there is criticism of its poor human rights situation, but this is likely to have little impact. The football world gets over this easily, and the few critics face a fait accompli: the country is the only favourite.
The last potential organizer also withdrew on Tuesday. Football Federation Australia had to announce by 31 October whether it was interested in staging the tournament. But “after considering all the factors”, the federation concluded that it would not compete for the 2034 championship.
This is not surprising, because almost all of these factors were pointing in the direction of the Middle East. At the beginning of October, the FIFA Council, made up of 37 football executives from around the world, paved the way for Saudi Arabia, the federation’s loyal partner and funder, with a series of decisions. The Kingdom is active as a sponsor and will organize the Club World Cup in December, something that FIFA wants to make even more important.
Finished by the author
Dirk Jacob Neubauer is a sports reporter for De Volkskrant He writes about football and handball. He was previously a Turkish political correspondent and journalist.
It started with the 2030 World Cup being allocated to no less than six countries on three continents. The tournament will be held primarily in neighboring countries Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but the first three matches will be held in three countries in South America: Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. According to FIFA, this is a commemoration of the first World Cup tournament held in Uruguay in 1930.
Riyadh is the winner
FIFA described it as “a great message of peace, tolerance and inclusion,” putting logistical and environmental concerns aside. Europe, Africa and South America may be a little complacent about the World Cup, but the real winner in the game of political football was in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Because the tournament is taking place, only countries in Asia and Oceania can raise their hands before 2034. FIFA increased the pressure with a tight deadline: countries had to declare their interest at the end of October. Saudi Arabia did not need all that time: an hour later it announced its candidacy.
Is there a fight between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the powers that be in Saudi Arabia? It certainly seems so, also because other obstacles are immediately removed. For example, FIFA had a rule that seven of the fourteen World Cup stadiums had to already exist. Since the beginning of October, there have been only four: exactly the number already available in Saudi Arabia.
‘The height of shame’
An authoritarian country where women have fewer rights than men, homosexuality is banned, and critics of the regime are unsure about their lives, is now the only country left on the FIFA red carpet. Human Rights Watch describes this as a “disgrace” and such criticism will undoubtedly continue.
This was also the case in the lead-up to the World Cup in Qatar, which was held at the end of last year. But the tournament went ahead despite mounting evidence of corruption in the run-up. Once the tournament is set, there is hardly any way back.
Things are no longer as chaotic as they were then, but FIFA has learned this lesson. The decision must still be ratified by next year’s FIFA Congress, where all 211 member states will vote. But with one candidate remaining, the result will not be very exciting, especially since many countries have already pledged their support for Saudi Arabia.
Because that’s the reality: the football world doesn’t care much about human rights. The World Cup in Qatar is viewed by many as a success, and immediately afterwards Cristiano Ronaldo signed a contract in Saudi Arabia that earned him hundreds of millions. Once he broke the spell, dozens of others followed suit. Many on social media are very excited about the World Cup coming to the country where they work.
Pragmatism
Important football federations, especially in some Western European countries, are adapting to this. The anger that remained audible after the Qatar allocation has long since given way to pragmatism. In the spring, the Dutch Football Association voted to re-elect Gianni Infantino as FIFA President, who was also the only remaining candidate at the time.
Just Spe, president of the Dutch Football Association, said earlier: “You can’t shout too loudly, but then what?” advertisement. “Now you have a seat at the table and continue to exercise your influence.” The association is fortunate to have a Human Rights Committee established by FIFA. Countries that wish to organize the World Cup must include a chapter in their plan on the human rights situation in their country.
Secretary General of the Dutch Football Association, Gijs de Jong, said in Qatar that he believes that Saudi Arabia cannot organize the World Cup unless the human rights situation changes. The Dutch Football Association said in its response: “For a country to be allowed to organize the World Cup, it must meet several conditions.” “So we are interested in the Saudi bid book.”
No doubt it will contain many nice words, including on human rights, but does it matter if there is only one candidate who has already convinced a large part of the world? “Don’t cry out loud” may not get you far, but after the last month, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain that “exercise of influence” within FIFA has much influence.
