World Cup 2034: What will a Saudi tournament look like?

Saudi Arabia has been criticised for its human rights violations, women’s rights abuses, the criminalisation of homosexuality, the restriction of free speech and the war in Yemen.

Non-governmental organisations recently claimed, external the authorities executed at least 200 individuals in the first nine months of 2024, the highest for three decades.

The kingdom’s international standing was severely damaged by the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based Saudi journalist who was a prominent critic of the government.

Human rights campaigners say sport is being used by the Saudi government to detract from long-standing reputation issues.

The Saudi government says the investment in sport is boosting the economy, opening it up to tourism and inspiring people to be more active.

According to Fifa guidelines, countries bidding to host the event must commit to respect for human rights.

In November, Fifa released its evaluation report for the Saudi bid, awarding it “an average score of 4.2 out of 5” – the highest ever.

Fifa claimed “there is a 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”.

Last month, however, campaign group Amnesty International said the process to select Saudi Arabia as the 2034 host must be halted unless major human rights reforms were announced. It claimed that hosting the tournament there would likely lead to severe and widespread rights violations.