FIFA praises Saudi Arabia as a World Cup host: focus on human rights issues!

FIFA has enthusiastically rated Saudi Arabia's application for the 2034 World Cup, despite massive concerns on the part of the human rights organizations. According to the evaluation report, which was published on Saturday night, the country received impressive 4.2 out of 5 possible points for its application. In the evaluation of possible risks, FIFA came to the conclusion that only an “medium risk” could end, especially with regard to the human rights situation. The FIFA even sees the World Cup as a possibility to advance reforms and positive developments in the Kingdom and the region, as on Laola1 was.

The exact date for the 2034 World Cup has not yet been determined because the FIFA has proposed "no time window". It is expected that climatic conditions will play a role in planning, since the summer temperatures in Saudi Arabia will probably speak against the traditional period of the World Cup in June and July. Similar to Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup took place in November and December, a different period could also be necessary in Saudi Arabia. The official allocation of the 2034 World Cup will take place on December 11th during an online congress of FIFA. Contrary to criticism, Saudi Arabia remains the only candidate for 2034, while a joint application from Spain, Portugal and Morocco is in the race for 2030, like the Spiegel