Saudi Arabia is the only country bidding to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The country is being heavily criticized as a potential World Cup host, particularly in Germany. The discussion is complex.

It was a simple announcement from the other side of the world that practically cleared the way for Saudi Arabia. The Australian association announced on Tuesday that it would not be bidding for the 2034 World Cup – depending on confirmation from FIFA, Saudi Arabia therefore remains the only candidate for the award in a year’s time, which seems to have long been decided by Gianni Infantino’s backroom politics. And which, particularly in Germany, will lead to years of discussions about human rights, dependencies and the inseparability of sport and politics.

“After the investments we are currently seeing in soccer and sport in general, a World Cup is the logical culmination and, in a way, the continuation of what Qatar has done,” Islam and political scientist Sebastian Sons told the German Press Agency.

The 42-year-old Berliner is, among other things, an expert on sports policy in the Arab Gulf region. “It’s a partner that we now need: in terms of energy policy, security policy and because of the situation in the region. And this must at least be discussed in the context of a soccer 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 at all, said Wenzel Michalski in an interview with the German Press Agency. However, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia is one degree 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 not an option.

“Because FIFA has set itself a human rights agenda, which states that organizers of World Cups must respect human rights. And it is well known that this is not the case at all with Saudi Arabia,” explained Michalski. To award it there after all would be a betrayal of those who would believe FIFA to implement the human rights standards it has set itself.

Formally, Tuesday was only the deadline for interested associations to submit initial documents. The final bid, which will be reviewed by the world governing body, must be submitted before the FIFA Congress awards the bid at the end of 2024. The more than 200 member associations will then be able to vote, with each association having one vote regardless of its size. There may be resistance – including from the German Football Association – during the vote. However, Saudi Arabia, as a sporting power, already has a number of supporters behind it. Infantino too.

The FIFA President was not at all bothered by Qatar, on the contrary. “It will simply be the best World Cup in history, the greatest show on earth,” said the Swiss resident of 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 put to bed.

Infantino’s chess game

It has long been clear that 2026 will be played in the USA, 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. It will then move to Morocco, Spain and Portugal. This still has to be formally approved by the FIFA Congress. The rotation principle means that only representatives from Asia and Oceania remain for 2034. There was no resistance in the Council – as there would have been if 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, will not miss the opportunity. “This is the second step in an extremely exciting journey that the nation is embarking on,” said the head of the association, Yasser Al Misehal, when the letter of intent was announced: With the bid, “we continue our journey to make the dreams of our people a reality”.

Soccer has an “exorbitant social significance” in Saudi Arabia, emphasized scientist Sons from the CARPO research institute. And in order to be (positively) perceived beyond its own borders in this regard, Saudi Arabia spends huge sums of money, bringing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and a number of other well-known and highly decorated players into the domestic league. Throughout world sport, competitions have long been held in the Gulf, most recently a boxing match worth millions.

As part of the massive investment in sport to polish up its image, Saudi Arabia failed at least in its attempt to sign Lionel Messi. However, the Argentinian world champion is already a highly paid ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s tourism office. And this in turn acts as the top sponsor of the new African Super League. We can assume that this could also bring votes from the local federations if a World Cup host is chosen. So the ball stays on the pitch.

How should the DFB behave in the debate, having already performed extremely unhappily in Qatar? According to Sons, it is fundamentally important that a political line is first found towards the country, which an association can then use as a guide. The Federal Foreign Office, for example, writes: “Saudi Arabia is Germany’s second most important trading partner in the Arab world after the United Arab Emirates, while Germany is Saudi Arabia’s fourth largest supplier. “