Saudi Arabia awarded 2034 FIFA men’s World Cup despite history of human rights abuses

The GIST: While trying to distance themselves from a reputation of bribery and corruption, international soccer’s governing body FIFA is once again drawing significant flack after a controversial decision regarding the 2034 men’s World Cup (WC) tournament. Let’s dive in.

Saudi Arabia officially confirmed as 2034 WC host: After submitting an unopposed bid, Saudi Arabia, a country widely criticized for its human rights violations, was awarded the hosting rights to the world’s biggest men’s soccer competition by FIFA on Wednesday.

• The tournament is the latest attempt by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to use sports to improve his country’s reputation, a tactic known as sportswashing.

• Twenty-one human rights groups signed on to a joint statement in response, decrying FIFA for endangering “resident, migrant workers, and visiting fans alike” by sending the WC to Saudi Arabia.

Zooming out: Saudi Arabia’s proposal outlines a WC held across five cities in 15 stadiums, requiring at least 11 stadiums to be renovated or built, in addition to creating 185K hotel rooms — a tall infrastructure task expected to be largely carried out by migrant workers.

• If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. In preparation for the 2022 WC, migrants were employed to build stadiums in Qatar — and thousands reportedly died doing so. Horrific.

• FIFA’s response, or lack thereof, to such tragedy is among the chief complaints surrounding the decision to give the men’s WC to Saudi Arabia because, as senior director of the Middle East Democracy Center Abdullah Alaoudh said, “there is nothing to indicate that Saudi Arabia will be any better.”