| كأس العالم لكرة القدم 2034 | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Saudi Arabia |
| Dates | TBA |
| Teams | 48 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue | 15 (in 5 host cities) (planned) |
←2030 2038 → | |
The2034 FIFA World Cup will be the 25thFIFA World Cup, a quadrennial internationalfootball tournament contested by themen's national teams of the member associations ofFIFA. In December 2024,Saudi Arabia was formally confirmed as the host nation by FIFA following an uncontested bidding process.[1][2] It will be the third tournament hosted in Asia, afterKorea and Japan in 2002 andQatar in 2022. Saudi Arabia will be the second host nation from theArabian Peninsula in the space of twelve years. It will also be the first time the tournament is hosted by a single nation since 2022.
FIFA restricted the hosting eligibility toAsia orOceania after it made the decision to host the2030 FIFA World Cup on three continents (Africa,Europe andSouth America). Observers characterised this as FIFA bending its own rules to pave the path forSaudi Arabia to host the 2034 edition by substantially reducing potential competing host bids.[3] FIFA also unexpectedly sped up the bidding timeline by at least three years, which hindered other potential bidders. According to reporting byThe New York Times, FIFA presidentGianni Infantino played a key role in bending FIFA's rules and facilitating the selection of Saudi Arabia as host.[4][5]
Similar to the2018 and the2022 tournaments, the 2034 FIFA World Cup has attracted much controversy from outside observers due to the host location,sportswashing issues and its controversialhuman rights records.[6][7]
The bidding process for the 2034 World Cup began on 4 October 2023 and initially used the same requirements as the2030 World Cup. FIFA later lowered the requirement for the number of existing stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000 from seven to four.[8] Due to FIFA's confederation rotation policy, only member associations from theAsian Football Confederation andOceania Football Confederation were eligible to host.[9] FIFA made the decision to host the 2030 World Cup in three continents (Africa, Europe and South America) and the2026 World Cup was set to be held inNorth America, which meant that the 2034 World Cup would necessarily have to be held in Asia or Oceania.[3]
On 31 October 2023, FIFA presidentGianni Infantino announced that Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 World Cup, making it the third time theAsian Football Confederation has or will host the World Cup, after the2002 tournament, which was hosted in Japan and South Korea, and the2022 tournament in Qatar. It is also the second time it will be held in theMiddle East, after Qatar in 2022.[10]
According to investigative reporting byThe New York Times, Infantino played a key role in the selection of Saudi Arabia as host. He engaged in private diplomacy on Saudi Arabia's behalf, as he explored whetherGreece would be willing to partner with Saudi Arabia to host the 2030 World Cup. WhenSpain,Portugal andMorocco announced that they would bid together for the 2030 World Cup, the Saudis considered it unlikely that the bid could be beaten. Thus, the Saudis backed out of bidding for 2030. FIFA subsequently made two moves thatThe New York Times described as "curious",[2] FIFA announced that the 2030 World Cup would be jointly hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, but that the first three matches would be hosted inArgentina,Paraguay, andUruguay as part of commemorations of the 100th anniversary of theinaugural World Cup in Uruguay, This decision ruled Europe, Africa and South America out as potential bidders for the 2034 World Cup, and meant that the only potential bidders could be fromAsia orOceania. FIFA also unexpectedly sped up the bidding process for the 2034 World Cup, giving only 25 days for interested nations to express their intent to host. Within minutes, Saudi Arabia announced its intentions to host.[4]
On 11 December 2024, FIFA confirmed that the 2034 World Cup would be hosted by Saudi Arabia. The decision was announced during an Extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting, where the hosts for both the 2030 and 2034 tournaments were finalized following a vote.[2]
| 2024 ExtraordinaryFIFA Congress 11 December 2024 –Zürich,Switzerland[note 1] | |
| Nation | Round 1 |
|---|---|
 Saudi Arabia | Acclamation |
The official list of the proposed stadiums was confirmed on 31 July 2024 by the bid book. The tournament is planned to be held in five cities:Riyadh,Jeddah,Khobar,NEOM andAbha, with a total of 15 stadiums (5 of which will be renovated, and 10 of which will be new).[11]
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | King Salman International Stadium (new) | 92,760 |
| King Fahd Sports City Stadium (after renovation) | 70,200 | |
| South Riyadh Stadium [ar] (new) | 47,060 | |
| Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium (new) | 46,979 | |
| Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium (after renovation) | 46,865 | |
| King Saud University Stadium (after renovation) | 46,319 | |
| New Murabba Stadium (new) | 46,010 | |
| ROSHN Stadium (new) | 46,000 | |
| Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City Stadium (after renovation) | 58,432 |
| Qiddiya Coast Stadium [ar] (new) | 46,096 | |
| Jeddah Central Development Stadium (new) | 45,794 | |
| King Abdullah Economic City Stadium (new) | 45,700 | |
| Khobar | Aramco Stadium (new) | 46,096 |
| NEOM | NEOM Stadium (new) | 46,010 |
| Abha | King Khalid University Stadium (after renovation) | 45,428 |
In addition to the venues, 2FIFA Fan Festival locations have been proposed in each of the host cities. The draw of the groups will take place at the planned Line Convention Center, located inThe Line,Neom.[11]
Saudi Arabia (host)The selection of Saudi Arabia as a host has attracted controversy since the start due tohuman rights violations in the country. Law, human rights, and Saudi activists have asked for FIFA to put pressure on the country to improve its human rights record, similar tothe pressure put onQatar when it hosted in2022. The trade unionBuilding and Wood Workers' International has warned that FIFA awarding Saudi Arabia the tournament goes against their conditions of human rights.[12] WhenClifford Chance did an assessment of human rights in the country, the report was criticised by eleven rights organisations includingAmnesty International andHuman Rights Watch.[13][14] The nontransparent nature of the bid has also been criticised byNorwegian Football Federation presidentLise Klaveness, who stated that despite the reforms after the2015 FIFA corruption case, little measures were taken to ensure that hosts met risk and human rights assessments; the NFF later abstained from voting on 11 December. Norwegian clubFredrikstad have put pressure on their federation to boycott the tournament.[15][16]
On 11 November 2024,Amnesty International called on FIFA to stop the bidding process for the 2034 World Cup, citing human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia.[17] On 21 November 2024,ITUC-Africa filed a complaint to theUnited Nations over the mistreatment of African migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and warned that the 2034 World Cup could amplify existing problems for migrant workers.[18] On 25 November 2024,United States SenatorsRon Wyden andDick Durbin urged FIFA not to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia citing human rights concerns for citizens, workers, athletes, tourists, and members of the press in the country with no guarantee that human rights would be upheld during the tournament, especially for women and LGBTQ people whose rights would be the most at risk.[19] Three days later, German and DanishMEPsDaniel Freund andNiels Fuglsang respectively criticised the closed door nature of the bid and suggested for a boycott if the tournament was awarded to Saudi Arabia to as they believed it was the only way to ensure a prevention of human rights violations.[20]UN High Commissioner for Human RightsVolker Türk called for FIFA to keep human rights as the top priority for hosting the tournament in Saudi Arabia. On 27 January 2025, FIFA rejected calls for an independent group to monitor the conditions of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, stating that the government made commitments to a workers' welfare system to monitor compliance with labour rights standards for tournament-related projects.[21] Helene Elatr, widow of assassinatedWashington Post journalistJamal Khashoggi asked that FIFA honour her late husband during the tournament as allegations have been made against the Saudi government for their involvement inhis 2018 assassination in Istanbul.[22]
In May 2025, lawyersMark Pieth, Stefan Wehrenberg, and Rodney Dixon submitted an official complaint to FIFA saying that the bidding process "failed to ensure that human rights standards were met". The complaint argues that by awarding the World Cup to Saudi Arabia, FIFA is obligated to ensure the country upholds human rights standards.[23]
Despite this, some football federations that were previously critical of Qatar hosting their World Cup such asThe Football Association, theDanish Football Association, theGerman Football Association, theSwiss Football Association, theSwedish Football Association, and theRoyal Belgian Football Association, have either backed Saudi Arabia or remained silent. The DBU chairmanJesper Møller and DBU secretary general Erik Brogger Rasmussen have stated that they are optimistic that the human rights situation will improve by the start of the World Cup as part ofSaudi Vision 2030; the FA stated that they would back Saudi Arabia to avoid accusations of hypocrisy if they wantedEngland to participate; the RBFA congratulated Saudi Arabia for their bid and were also optimistic about human rights improving; the ASF-SFV backed Saudi Arabia but called for an independent human rights group to monitor the situation; the SvFF backed Saudi Arabia's bid to much protest within the federation, resulting in several resignations after the bidding process vote; the DFB later decided to support Saudi Arabia with a goal of working to improve the human rights situation.[24] Meanwhile, German coachJulian Nagelsmann and German captainJoshua Kimmich stated that they will not make a protest about the human rights conditions in the country like theGerman team did in 2022 and instead focus on football.[25][26]
Immigrants and labourers in the wider Gulf region face harsh living conditions, discrimination and racism in violation of their human rights due to thekafala system according to severalNGOs.[27][28][29] In Saudi Arabia they predominantly come from South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, with the top five nationalities being India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt.[30]Amnesty International said that the human cost of awarding the World Cup to Saudi Arabia was high and that "many will die".[31]
On 12 March 2025, the first migrant worker death was reported. Muhammad Arshad, originally from Pakistan, died while working on theAramco Stadium inKhobar.[32] In May 2025, FairSquare andHuman Rights Watch reported that numerous migrant workers had died fromdecapitation,electrocution, and fromfalling to their deaths among others, and that Saudi authorities were failing to protect workers from these preventable deaths, as well as not investigating workplace incidents, and not ensuring compensation for the families of those workers who died.[33][34]
On 12 February 2025, PrinceKhalid bin Bandar Al Saud stated thatalcohol would not be sold during the tournament, including at hotels.[35] However, reports stated that the ban on alcohol would be lifted in 2026, allowing for limited alcohol to be sold at tourist areas such as hotels and fan fests, though Saudi authorities denied this.[36]
Fossil Free Football has raised concerns about the tournament stating that the amount of new stadiums that would be built would increase pollution, and that the tournament would be used togreenwash thecountry's fossil fuel industry.[37][38]
Owing toSaudi Arabia's climate, sporting events in the country typically take place during the cooler months of the year. For example, the2024–25 Saudi Pro League runs from August until May. In particular, the peak months of the Northern Hemisphere summer present particularly difficult conditions for playing sport in the country, with minimum nighttime temperatures of 26–29 °C (79–84 °F) and daily mean temperatures of 33–37 °C (91–99 °F) between May and September. The climate of neighbouring Qatar is similar to that of Saudi Arabia. When Qatar hosted the2022 World Cup, the tournament was held in November and December in order to ensure comfortable playing conditions. There has therefore been speculation that the 2034 tournament may be scheduled at a similar time of year.[39]
European football leagues generally run from August until May, meaning that the 2022 World Cup scheduling interrupted the European football season. Football competitions in many other parts of the world in which World Cup players also compete, however, either do not run over the Northern Hemisphere winter at all (for example,China,Japan, andBrazil), or start or end very close to the Northern Hemisphere winter, to the extent that disruption to competition at this time of year is minimal (such asArgentina,Colombia, andEgypt). Academic meta-analysis of the impacts of playing a major international tournament in the middle of European club seasons suggests the performance of players was improved by the change in scheduling as compared to other tournaments.[40] Commentators also suggested that games were entertaining for their high quality of football.[41][42]
Consternation over the scheduling of the World Cup in Qatar came from European fans who had become accustomed to experiencing World Cup tournaments in the middle of the European summer, with traditions of watching games in outdoor spaces at bars or in public parks, and who felt their experience would be diminished by not being able to do this in winter.[43] Across parts of the world in which the climate is hostile to social watching of the tournament when held in June or July, however, a winter tournament meant that, for the first time, fans were able to have this experience.[44][45][46][47]
Other potential scheduling issues may includeRamadan in December, as well as Saudi Arabia's status as host of the2034 Asian Games in Riyadh in November and December. TheInternational Olympic Committee has stated that they do not perceive a risk of a schedule clash between the FIFA World Cup and the2034 Winter Olympics inSalt Lake City, Utah, which is currently scheduled to be held 10–26 February 2034.[48] But because of Ramadan, it is likely that 2034 Football World Cup could be shifted to January 2035, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he is open to consider rescheduling because of this.[49][50]
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