Two United States senators on Monday urged FIFA not to choose Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 World Cup next month, a decision seen as inevitable despite the kingdom’s human rights record .
Democrats Ron Wyden of Oregon and Dick Durbin of Illinois wrote to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, stating that “we urge you to find a host country with a track record of upholding human rights.”
Saudi Arabia is the only candidate for 2034 since FIFA unexpectedly opened an accelerated nomination process in October last year. The match appeared to have been designed by FIFA for the Saudi bid to win, despite the fact that the kingdom had to build 15 stadiums for the tournament, something that risks repeating the labor rights issues we saw in Qatar before saw the 2022 World Cup.
On December 11, more than 200 FIFA member federations are expected to jointly support the Saudi bid.
“Approving Saudi Arabia’s bid in December puts workers, athletes, tourists and members of the press at risk, and it goes against FIFA’s own human rights policy,” Wyden and Durbin wrote in a letter seen by Associated Press.
“The kingdom continues to torture dissidents, commit extrajudicial killings, discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community, oppress women and religious minorities, exploit and abuse foreign workers, and restrict almost all political rights and civil liberties,” the letter said.
These concerns were raised by members of the United Nations at the Human Rights Council in January, when Saudi Arabia’s record was examined.
During that session in Geneva, Saudi government officials pointed to dozens of reforms in favor of women and broader modernization of society under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 program.
Infantino has spent years building close ties with the crown prince. The body’s World Cup sponsorship deal in April with Saudi state oil company Aramco marked a deeper financial relationship ahead of the 2026 edition, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA bid rules for World Cup hopefuls require an assessment of human rights risks for the tournament, but law firm Clifford Chance’s analysis published in July was criticized by NGOs and activists for its lack of independence.
That report required Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the U.N.-backed International Labor Organization, but not with global rights experts, who have limited access to enter the country to work.
“Even more troubling,” the senators wrote, “the Saudis have failed to indicate how they will enforce labor protections, press freedom, nondiscrimination, and inclusion standards. We strongly urge FIFA to take all steps necessary to thoroughly re-evaluate Saudi Arabia’s ill-equipped World Cup bid before December and select a rights-respecting host nation.”