Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have urged FIFA to pause its selection process for the 2034 World Cup, citing Saudi Arabia’s human rights record as a major concern.
At a press conference organized by the Sport & Rights Alliance on Wednesday, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of labor rights and sport, criticized the bid process, calling it a “sham” with a predetermined outcome. “The bidding process has basically been a stitch-up from start to finish,” Cockburn said.
Saudi Arabia remains the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup after other potential candidates, such as Australia, withdrew. On Saturday, FIFA released an evaluation report giving the Saudi bid an overall score of 4.2 out of 5—higher than the 4.0 awarded to the joint bid from the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the 2026 tournament. The report categorized Saudi Arabia’s human rights risks as “medium.”
Cockburn dismissed FIFA’s evaluation as an “astonishing whitewash,” arguing that its scope was deliberately limited. “FIFA agreed with the Saudi Arabia Football Federation to restrict the assessment to human rights issues the country has recognized in international treaties,” Cockburn said. “This omits significant concerns, including LGBT rights, trade union freedoms, and freedom of expression—violations of FIFA’s own policies.”
Human rights at risk
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch warned that the lack of competition in the bidding process weakens any incentives for Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record. “With an unopposed process, there’s no pressure for the host nation to address these concerns,” Cockburn said.
A report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch highlighted the risks facing migrant workers, who make up a significant portion of Saudi Arabia’s labor force. Between January and June 2024, 884 Bangladeshi workers died in Saudi Arabia. While 80 percent of these deaths were attributed to “natural causes,” investigations were often inadequate, and families received little to no compensation.
If Saudi Arabia hosts the World Cup, Human Rights Watch expects migrant workers to face similar dangers to those seen in Qatar during its 2022 World Cup preparations. Qatar, a much smaller nation, saw at least 6,500 migrant worker deaths during its World Cup preparations, according to Britain’s Guardian. The Gulf nation has disputed this figure.
Michael Page, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division, warned that the scale of risk in Saudi Arabia is even larger. “There are about 13.4 million migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, compared to 2 million in Qatar,” he said. “Many work in remote, harsh conditions that could exacerbate the human cost of hosting the tournament.”
A broader economic vision
The Saudi bid is part of the country’s Vision 2030 strategy, an ambitious plan to diversify its economy beyond oil. One of the centerpiece projects under Vision 2030 is NEOM, a futuristic city on the Red Sea that is planned to be nearly the size of Belgium and house nine million residents.
While FIFA has praised the infrastructure potential of the Saudi bid, human rights advocates continue to question whether these developments come at too high a cost.
The FIFA Congress is set to meet on December 11 to discuss the 2034 World Cup host, with Saudi Arabia’s unopposed bid all but certain to proceed. Advocacy groups have called on FIFA to delay the decision and conduct a more thorough assessment of human rights implications.
