Saudi Arabia officially announced as 2034 World Cup host

Words by Joseph Wardropper, ITV News Senior Producer

Saudi Arabia has been officially awarded the 2034 World Cup during a "virtual" meeting of Fifa's 211 members.

The Gulf kingdom has been seen as the de facto host since October 2023, when Australia pulled out of the running.

Fifa's member nations voted at the same time to award the 2030 World Cup to Morocco, Spain and Portugal, in the first uncontested bidding process for more than half a century.

Gianni Infantino, Fifa’s president, hailed the decision as a "historic compromise" that "unites the world."

"Everyone moved one or more steps toward the other, everyone gave up and renounced something for the benefit of the greater good," he said.

Human rights groups have sharply criticised the decision to award football's biggest prize to Saudi Arabia, warning that thousands of migrant workers will die building stadiums, hotels and roads to accommodate hundreds of thousands of fans.

Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi human rights activist, told ITV News that Fifa should have used the award of the tournament to incentivise reform in the kingdom.

"We want Fifa to condition it to the release of political prisoners. We want it to be conditional on the lifting of travel bans, ending the death penalty, and bringing in human rights organisations on the ground," she said.

The English Football Association did not register a protest at the online meeting. It is understood there were conversations at board level about how to approach the issue.

Before the 2022 World Cup in neighbouring Qatar, the FA was one of 10 European Football Associations to press Fifa to create a compensation fund for migrant workers and to respect human rights and the safety of LGBTQ+ fans.

The FA recently met with the Saudi Arabian federation to ensure that all fans, including those who are LGBTQ+, would feel "safe and welcome" in 2034.

Ahead of Wednesday's online meeting, the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) criticised the "flawed and inconsistent" bidding process, writing to Fifa to demand "greater transparency, fairness, and stricter adherence to Fifa’s 2016 reforms".

The online announcement will be seen by Fifa critics as procedural, and lacking any of the fanfare that has characterised previous World Cup host announcements.

Fifa did not confirm whether the 2034 World Cup would be played in winter, as many expect, but did previously note that "peak daytime temperatures can exceed 40C at the hottest times of the day in Riyadh" and that "climatic conditions" should be taken into account when the tournament is scheduled.

Unlike the World Cup in Qatar, which was held in November and December, some observers expect the competition in Saudi Arabia to be pushed back to January, to avoid a clash with Christmas or Ramadan, after Fifa's evaluation report also referred specifically to timetabling around "religious events".

Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in global sport, and the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, known by his initials MBS, has established a close relationship with Fifa President Gianni Infantino.

Aramco, the majority state-owned Saudi Arabian oil giant, announced a major sponsorship deal with Fifa in April.

Critics have labelled Saudi Arabia's move into global football, tennis and golf competitions as "sports washing".

Speaking to Fox News last year, MBS joked: "If sport washing is going to increase my GDP by way of 1%, then I will continue doing sport washing."

"I don't care," he added. "I'm aiming for another 1.5%. Call it whatever you want, we're going to get that 1.5%."

The government of Saudi Arabia has previously said: "(Saudia Arabia is) committed to safeguarding workers’ rights and combating forced labour. All workplace incidents are thoroughly investigated. Deaths are handled in line with international standards and free healthcare is provided to everyone in critical situations."

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

Have you heard The Trapped? Listen as Daniel Hewitt exposes the UK's dirty secret.