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As Saudi Arabia is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034, the governing body of international football stated that hosting the tournament in the country was considered as a medium risk for human rights and it will improve human rights in Saudi Arabia. The statement was made ahead of FIFA Congress, scheduled for December 11, which will decide the hosts for 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups.
Saudi Arabia turned out to be lone candidate to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034. On the other hand, Morocco, Spain and Portugal have formed a joint bid to host the mega event in 2030, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay set to host a match as part of the centenary edition. Saudi Arabia are yet to build proposed stadium to hosts matches for the multinational football tournament.
It is important to note that the bid involves significant opportunities for positive human rights impact: FIFA
In their statement, FIFA said that Saudi Arabia’s bid presents a strong composition and commercial potential. The international football organisation believes that it could also improve the situation of human rights in the country, and could turn out to be a catalyst for ongoing and future reforms.
“Saudi Arabia’s presents a very strong all-round proposition, reflected in the results of the technical evaluation, which assesses the proposed infrastructure (both sporting and general) as well as its commercial potential,” FIFA said in its statement as quoted in NDTV Sports.“There is good potential that the tournament could serve as a catalyst for some of the ongoing and future reforms and contribute to positive human rights outcomes for people in Saudi Arabia and the region that go beyond the scope of the tournament itself,” the statement further read.
