Fifa says Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup bid 'medium risk' for human rights
Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 football World Cup was considered "medium risk" for human rights by Fifa in its evaluation report, which said implementing reforms could take "significant time and effort".
The release of the report Saturday comes ahead of the Fifa Congress on 11 December, when a vote will be held to select the hosts for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups.
Saudi Arabia is the lone candidate for 2034 while Morocco, Spain and Portugal have formed a joint bid for the 2030 tournament, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay all set to host a match as part of the centenary edition.
The Saudi bid "presents a very strong all-round proposition, reflected in the results of the technical evaluation, which assesses the proposed infrastructure (both sporting and general) as well as its commercial potential," Fifa said in its report.
Effort and time
But football's world governing body cautioned, "in terms of human rights, the undertaking involved in implementing the various measures... particularly in certain areas, could involve significant effort and time".
Fifa said that was the basis for the elevated risk rating for a bid that received an average score of 4.2 out of 5 – higher than the combined bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico for the 2026 World Cup.
"It is important to note that the bid involves significant opportunities for positive human rights impact," added Fifa.
Catalyst for reforms
Football supremos clear plans for 2030 centenary World Cup across the globe
Read more on RFI English
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