Only Saudi Arabia is bidding to host the 2034 World Cup. The country is facing heavy criticism, particularly in Germany, as a potential host. The discussion is complex.

It was a disdainful message from the other side of the world that practically cleared the way for Saudi Arabia. The Australian Football Association announced on Tuesday that it would not bid for the 2034 World Cup. Pending confirmation from FIFA, Saudi Arabia will therefore remain the only candidate when the decision is made in a year’s time, a decision that seems to have long been decided by Gianni Infantino’s backroom politics. And which, particularly in Germany, will result in years of discussions about human rights, dependencies and the inseparability of sport and politics.

“Given the investments we are seeing in football and sport in general, a World Cup is, so to speak, the logical culmination and, in a way, a continuation of what Qatar has done,” said Sebastian Sons, an Islamic and political scientist, to the German Press Agency.

The 42-year-old Berliner is, among other things, an expert on sports policy in the Arabian Gulf region. “It is a partner that we now need: in terms of energy policy, security policy, and also because of the situation in the region. And that must at least be discussed in the context of a World Cup,” said Sons about Saudi Arabia.

Human rights situation worse than in Qatar

The kingdom is even more controversial than the host of the 2022 finals, its small neighbor Qatar. He did not want to compare the two countries, said Wenzel Michalski in an interview with the German Press Agency. However, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia is even worse than in Qatar, emphasized the Germany director of Human Rights Watch. For him, one thing is certain: a World Cup in Saudi Arabia is out of the question.

“Because FIFA has set itself a human rights agenda that states that World Cup hosts must respect human rights. And that is not the case at all in Saudi Arabia, as we know,” explained Michalski. Awarding it there would be a betrayal of those who believe FIFA will actually implement the human rights standards it has set.

Formally, the deadline for interested associations to submit their initial documents ended on Tuesday. The final application, which will be reviewed by FIFA, must follow by the time the 2024 FIFA Congress awards the event at the end of 2024. More than 200 member associations will then be allowed to vote, with each association having one vote regardless of size. There may be resistance during the election, including from the German Football Association. However, Saudi Arabia has already gained the support of a number of supporters as a sporting power. Including Infantino.

The FIFA president was not at all bothered by Qatar, quite the opposite. “It will simply be the best World Cup in history, the greatest show on earth,” said the Swiss, who lives in the emirate, a year ago. Twelve months later, the discussions about human rights, the “One Love” captain’s armband, sustainability and much more have been ticked off.

Infantino’s game of chess

It has long been decided that the 2026 tournament will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Infantino turned the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 tournaments into a game of chess. His council decided that the 2030 tournament should begin with three matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. After that, the tournament should move to Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Formally, this also has to be approved by the FIFA Congress. The rotation principle means that only representatives from Asia and Oceania will remain for 2034. There was no resistance in the council – how could there have been if the DFB president Bernd Neuendorf had voted against a World Cup in Europe?

Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the FIFA Club World Cup at the end of the year, is not going to miss out on this opportunity. “This is the second step of an extremely exciting journey that the nation is embarking on,” said association chief Yasser Al Misehal when the letter of intent was announced: “With this bid, we are continuing our journey to make the dreams of our people come true.”

Football has an “exorbitant social significance” in Saudi Arabia, emphasized scientist Sons from the CARPO research institute. And in order to be (positively) perceived in this regard, even beyond its own borders, Saudi Arabia is spending enormous sums of money, bringing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and a number of other well-known and highly decorated players into the domestic league. The Gulf has long been hosting competitions in world sports, most recently a multi-million dollar boxing match.

In the course of massive investments in sports to polish its image, Saudi Arabia failed in its attempt to sign Lionel Messi. However, the Argentinean world champion is already a highly paid ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tourist Office. And that in turn acts as the top sponsor of the new African Super League. It can be assumed that this could also bring votes from the federations there when choosing a World Cup host. That’s how the ball stays on the pitch.

How should the DFB behave in the debate, having already appeared extremely unhappy in Qatar? It is fundamentally important that a political line be found towards the country first, which an association could then use as a guide, said Sons. The German Foreign Office, for example, writes: “After the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia is Germany’s second most important trading partner in the Arab world; Germany, in turn, is Saudi Arabia’s fourth largest supplier.”