Morocco, Spain, and Portugal have been confirmed to host the 2030 World Cup; Saudi Arabia has been given the 2034 edition

FIFA, the organization that oversees men’s soccer, said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, while Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will host the 2030 tournament, with one-off matches in three South American nations.

After a virtual special Congress, FIFA President Gianni Infantino made the announcement. There was only one bid for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, and both were accepted with great cheers.

“The quantity of teams hasn’t affected the quality of football, which we are introducing to new nations. Regarding the 2030 World Cup, Infantino stated, “It improved the opportunity.”

“There is no better way to commemorate the 100th anniversary in 2030 than to have the World Cup with 48 teams, 104 thrilling matches, and six countries spread over three continents. The globe will pause to commemorate the globe Cup’s 100th anniversary.

“Congratulations to all the bidders for putting up a great dossier, but I would like to put on record my big, big thank you to the six confederation presidents and to their teams,” he said.

The 2030 World Cup would span three continents and six countries, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay staging commemorative matches to commemorate the tournament’s centennial, according to the joint plan from Morocco, Spain, and Portugal.

The World Cup was initially hosted by Uruguay in 1930, and it has since been held in Argentina and Spain. Morocco, Portugal, and Paraguay will all be hosting for the first time.

Twelve years after neighbors Qatar hosted the 2022 edition, Saudi Arabia will host the quadrennial event four years later, becoming it the second Middle Eastern country to do so.

FIFA announced in 2023 that the 2034 World Cup will take place in Asia or Oceania, and the Asian Football Confederation endorsed Saudi Arabia’s proposal.

Additionally, Australia and Indonesia had discussed submitting a combined proposal but withdrew.

FIFA made it clear that there will be no competition for any bid in 2023.

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) denounced FIFA’s bidding procedure as “flawed and inconsistent” on Tuesday and declared it would vote against the awarding of hosting rights by acclamation.

ANALYZATION

Both offers have already drawn criticism.

Climate activists have criticized the 2030 World Cup’s decision to be held on three continents due to the higher emissions from the additional travel.

According to FIFA, steps would be taken to “mitigate the environmental impact.”

Similar to the Qatar World Cup, Saudi Arabia’s candidacy for 2034 has drawn criticism due to the country’s human rights record and desert environment.

FIFA will probably have to move the event to the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, like it did in Qatar, due to the Saudi climate.

A World Cup held in Saudi Arabia will also provoke criticism of the Kingdom’s human rights record and lead to claims of “sportswashing.”

Last month, the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) and Amnesty International asked FIFA to put a halt to the Saudi Arabia hosting bid unless it announced significant improvements prior to the vote.

Over the last several years, the Kingdom has made significant investments in sports, but detractors, such as LGBTQ people and women’s rights organizations, claim it is using its Public Investment Fund to sportswash its human rights record.

21 organizations, including Amnesty International, Saudi diaspora human rights organizations, Nepali and Kenyan migrant worker organizations, and international trade unions, released a unified statement denouncing Saudi Arabia’s confirmation as the 2034 World Cup host.

Steve Cockburn, Head of Labor Rights and Sport at Amnesty International, stated in a statement on Wednesday that “many lives will be put at risk by FIFA’s careless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place.”

The nation claims that its laws safeguard its national security and refutes claims of violations of human rights.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia has never hosted a tournament of this size before and will need to build eight stadiums for the occasion.