2034 World Cup
Will the 2034 men’s World Cup in Saudi Arabia be played in the summer or winter?
Given the high temperatures in Saudi Arabia in June and July, it seems inevitable the World Cup will be played outside its traditional window.
Saudi Arabia will be the venue for the 2034 men’s World Cup, after the Middle Eastern kingdom was confirmed as the soccer tournament’s host during FIFA’s extraordinary congress in Zurich, Switzerland, today.
The sole bidder for the World Cup’s 25th edition, Saudi Arabia has won the right to stage soccer’s most prestigious men’s competition in spite of major concerns over its human rights record.
What’s more, there are doubts over the time of year in which the kingdom can host the tournament, which is normally played in the northern hemisphere’s summer months.
“FIFA not upholding human rights policy”
Responding to the country’s announcement as World Cup host, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch said the event has been awarded to Saudi Arabia “despite evidence of pervasive human rights violations”. These, HRW said, include: “Widespread migrant worker abuses and uncompensated worker deaths, unlawful imprisonment of activists, [and] criminalization of consensual sexual relations outside of marriage, including same-sex relations.”
HRW continued: “FIFA is not upholding its human rights policy and has not honestly assessed these serious human rights risks. FIFA needs to ensure that rights abuses are not tied to its most important sporting event."
Saudi Arabia gets record score despite FIFA’s “medium” concerns
Although FIFA has flagged Saudi Arabia’s lack of transparency over human rights in the country, the kingdom’s World Cup bid received the highest ever mark in the global governing body’s evaluation report - 4.2 out of 5.
In its report, which characterized Saudi Arabia’s human rights risk as “medium”, FIFA also noted concerns over the country’s stadiums, as most of its 15 planned arenas are yet to be built, as well as its transport network and its accommodation infrastructure, with the tournament requiring the construction of 175,000 new hotel rooms.
And FIFA pointed to question marks over the dates on which Saudi Arabia will be able to host the World Cup.
What time of year will Saudi World Cup happen?
Given the summer temperatures in Saudi Arabia, which can well exceed 100ºF, FIFA said in its evaluation report: “There are some natural constraints to consider as part of the potential event timing which requires further consideration.” The body added: “The exercise of identifying the optimal window for the competition brings with it some complexities.”
It appears almost inevitable that the 2034 World Cup cannot be held in June and July, the months in which the tournament is typically played. All the indications are that, as in Qatar in 2022, the event will have to be staged during the northern hemisphere’s winter, in the middle of most European club seasons.
While the World Cup took place in November and December in Qatar - another nation awarded the event despite human rights concerns - it is being widely reported that the Saudi tournament may be held in January and February 2034.
2030 World Cup hosts also announced
At FIFA’s extraordinary congress today, Spain, Portugal and Morocco were also confirmed as the main hosts of the 2030 men’s World Cup, which is to be held across three continents. As part of the tournament’s centenary celebrations, 2030 World Cup games will also be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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