Dec 11,2024
The Premier League and other European top divisions are likely to oppose any attempt to stage a Saudi World Cup in the winter.
The Middle East nation is set to be rubberstamped as hosts of the 2034 finals at an online FIFA Congress on Wednesday, potentially through a vote by acclamation.
Opposition from national associations is set to be symbolic at best, but a tougher challenge may lie ahead for FIFA and Saudi Arabia in getting domestic leagues onside.
European Leagues, which includes the Premier League among its membership, is already involved in a legal row with FIFA over what it sees as a lack of consultation over the international calendar, and the PA news agency understands there are huge concerns among leagues over the fixture chaos a winter World Cup in 2034 would cause.
Scheduling a World Cup mid-season would also likely have a knock-on effect to the seasons either side of the campaign interrupted by the finals.
Domestic leagues did pause for the 2022 finals in Qatar, but doing so again would be much more challenging given the expansion of European club competition that has occurred since, and the World Cup's growth into a 48-team tournament.
For the 2026 finals, players are set to be with their country for up to eight weeks, from the start of the mandatory release period on 25 May up to the final on 19 July.
FIFA's bid evaluation report notes temperatures in Saudi Arabia are at their mildest between October and April, with daytime temperatures in June and July – when the World Cup is traditionally played – exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian football federation has criticised FIFA’s "flawed" process which looks set to hand the 2034 finals to Saudi Arabia.
The NFF says it will vote against any effort to award the 2030 and 2034 finals by acclamation on Wednesday, with both the Saudi bid and the joint Spain-Portugal-Morocco bid for 2030 standing uncontested.
The Nordic federation has lodged its formal criticism of the process in a letter to FIFA, and wants that criticism to be officially recorded in the Congress minutes.
"Tomorrow’s vote is not about who gets the 2030 and 2034 World Cups – that has already been decided," NFF president Lise Klaveness said.
"The Congress is primarily about providing feedback on FIFA’s allocation process. The board’s assessment is that the process does not align with the principles of a sound and predictable governance system. By abstaining from acclamation, we are sending a deliberate signal that we cannot support FIFA’s approach."
Even if national associations are given the chance to vote in the usual way, FIFA has combined the decisions on 2030 and 2034 into a single vote – leaving no room for associations to support one and oppose the other.
Saudi Arabia was effectively handed the finals by an agreement reached at a FIFA Council meeting on 4 October last year.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco’s 2030 bid had initially been up against a rival South American bid, but an arrangement was made for South America to instead stage the opening three matches of the centenary 2030 finals with Spain, Portugal and Morocco hosting the rest.
That meant only countries from Asia or Oceania were eligible to host 2034 under FIFA’s rotation system, with FIFA confirming interested nations from those continents had less than a month to put themselves forward.
Saudi Arabia duly did – on the same day the new arrangement was publicised – with Australia announcing on 31 October it would not stand as a rival.
"The lack of predictability and open processes challenges trust in FIFA as the global custodian of football," Klaveness added.
"FIFA’s own guidelines for human rights and due diligence have also not been adequately integrated into the process, increasing the risk of human rights violations.
"Based on the mandate from our General Assembly in 2021, we have consistently advocated for FIFA to strengthen itself as a rules-based and predictable steward of international football. We must remain consistent in this matter as well."
Saudi Arabia’s bid was given the highest ever score by FIFA’s bid evaluation team and deemed only 'medium risk’ on human rights. Amnesty International described FIFA’s report as "an astonishing whitewash".
FIFA’s relationship with the kingdom deepened when a sponsorship deal with oil and energy company Aramco was sealed in April, worth a reported 100 million US dollars a year.
There have been reports Saudi Arabia could also make an investment into DAZN, the broadcaster which last week struck an exclusive global rights deal for FIFA’s Club World Cup next year, worth a reported one billion US dollars.
Securing football's most high-profile tournament is just the latest example of the Middle East kingdom’s growing influence on global sport, which its critics say is in an effort to 'sportswash’ the authoritarian regime’s reputation.
Here we take a closer look.
BOXING
Turki Al-Sheikh has had a breakneck rise to kingmaker of boxing. Bankrolled by the Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority, Al-Sheikh’s influence has single-handedly changed the landscape of the sport.
Where once the best fighters tended to avoid each other, the riches on offer now see them tripping over themselves to get in the ring together in the kingdom.
Anthony Joshua has fought in the country four times but the jewels in the crown are the two Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury showdowns this year - the rematch is on 21 December.
FOOTBALL
The purchase of a majority stake in Newcastle in 2021 thrust Saudi Arabia, and its Public Investment Fund (PIF), into the consciousness of fans across England.
Internationally, the Saudi Pro League has become a magnet to some of the world’s top stars including Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, with rumours persisting that Mohamed Salah and Vinicius Junior are also on the shopping list of the country’s clubs.
A sponsorship deal worth $400m (€380m) with Saudi energy firm Aramco has solidified ties between the kingdom and FIFA.
There have been suggestions Saudi Arabian money could now be invested into DAZN, which last week became the new global broadcast partner for FIFA’s Club World Cup after agreeing a reported $1bn (€950m) deal for the 2025 tournament.
FORMULA ONE
Aramco struck a major 10-year sponsorship deal with the premier motorsport category in 2020, and since 2021 the kingdom has hosted a grand prix each season in Jeddah.
There were even reports in 2023 that the PIF wanted to buy the entire F1 series lock, stock and barrel.
GOLF
The country is involved in the Ladies European Tour through sponsorship of the lucrative Aramco Team Series of events since 2020, and also funded the Saudi International on the DP World Tour from 2019 to 2021, a tournament which is now on the Asian Tour.
The PIF provided the funding for the launch of LIV Golf in 2022 and continue to support the breakaway league, which caused a damaging schism in the men’s professional game. Two-time major winner Jon Rahm was paid around $450m (€427m) to join for the 2024 season.
HORSE RACING
Saudi owners are nothing new in British racing but the Saudi Cup has established the country as a major winter target for trainers.
Since its inception in 2020, the contest has drawn an international cast to Riyadh every February, which is no surprise given it is the richest race in the world, with 2024 victor Senor Buscador taking over €9.45m back to the United States.
TENNIS
In November the WTA Finals, the finale to the regular season, became the biggest women’s sports event to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi also hosts the Next Gen ATP Finals, for the leading young male players, while the lucrative Six Kings Slam exhibition in October attracted a stellar field, and the PIF has sponsorship deals with both the ATP and WTA.
Negotiations continue to enable the country to host a Masters 1000 event, which would represent a key breakthrough onto the main ATP Tour.
