Next Blood World Cup? Amnesty International warns about Saudi Arabia

After the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the next desert state will soon be chosen as the venue. It has been certain for months that the choice for the 2034 World Cup will fall on Saudi Arabia – as the country is the only applicant.

There is also only one option for the 2030 World Cup: six countries have applied together to host, namely Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. The official awarding of the 2030 and 2034 World Championships will take place in a double pack on December 11th. No surprise is to be expected.

A recent Amnesty International report is now calling on FIFA to stop the process of awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia. And also refers to human rights violations in the countries that will be hosting events in 2030.

As in Qatar, some of the infrastructure for the tournament in Saudi Arabia must first be created. According to Amnesty International, this could result in residents being forcibly evicted. And a large number of migrant workers are needed. In Saudi Arabia’s exploitative system, non-citizens have no prospects of receiving a minimum wage, joining unions or safety measures, let alone adequate health protection.

According to various estimates, several thousand workers have already died in Qatar as part of the stadium construction. Amnesty fears that many workers could also die in Saudi Arabia.

The human rights organization also points out the discrimination against women, LGBTQ fans and other groups – all problems that are still known from the World Cup in Qatar. “Awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without credible reform guarantees will have real and foreseeable human costs,” said Steve Cockburn, head of labor rights and sport at Amnesty International. However, the warning about World Cups in desert states is an old debate – and will probably no longer make FIFA change its mind.

While the criticism of Saudi Arabia was to be expected, it is surprising that Amnesty is also comparatively harsh on the countries expected to host the 2030 tournament.

Morocco, Portugal and Spain have proposed holding the games in 20 stadiums in 17 different cities. There are also three games in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. Back in June, Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) published a report that criticized the event countries. Among other things, it covered the use of rubber bullets, restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, and racist, sexist and homophobic insults in the stadiums.

The new paper takes a similar tone and criticizes that in the cities in Portugal and Spain where games are being played, the already scarce living space could be further reduced by the influx of fans during the World Cup. In Morocco there is even a risk of forced evictions. In addition, extramarital and same-sex relationships are still criminalized in the northwest African country.

“Morocco, Portugal and Spain must take their human rights responsibilities much more seriously,” warns Steve Cockburn. “The 2030 World Cup could provide an opportunity to strengthen human rights protections in all three countries.” However, this is only possible if “governments and football associations are prepared to work closely with fans, human rights organizations, unions and other affected groups.”