FIFA president, Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup.
In a statement released by the FIFA president on Tuesday October 31st, 2023.
The Statement reads: “Football unites the world like no other sport, and the World Cup is the perfect showcase for a message of unity and inclusion.”
“Different cultures can be together”.
Saudi Arabia’s relationship with football has been the source of controversy in recent months, with many fans and pundits accusing the nation of using sportswashing to hide its long list of human rights violations.
On Tuesday (31 October), mere hours before the deadline for declarations of interest, Football Australia released a statement in which it said that, after considering “all factors” following the success of the women’s World Cup – hosted jointly with New Zealand early this year – it would not bid to hold the men’s competition in 11 years’ time.
That left Saudi Arabia as the only nation to confirm interest in staging the tournament.
LGBTQ+ fans of were quick to criticise the decision, with the Middle East Kingdom known to be openly hostile to LGBTQ+ people while also having a poor human rights record.
