Given the high temperatures in summer, Saudi Arabia is open to possibly hosting the 2034 World Cup in winter. “Of course we are ready for all possibilities,” said the head of the Saudi association Yasser al-Misehal to the AFP news agency on Tuesday.
Most recently, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was moved to winter for the first time due to the summer temperatures in the desert state. Numerous top European leagues had to take a longer break than usual. In Saudi Arabia, temperatures can also reach up to 50 degrees Celsius in summer.
Nowadays there are also “many new technologies that help with cooling or installing air conditioning in the stadiums,” said al-Misehal at an awards ceremony organized by the Asian Confederation AFC in the Qatari capital Doha: “There are also many cities in the kingdom , which offer a wonderful atmosphere in summer.”
“The Greatest Show on Earth”
After Tuesday’s deadline for expressions of interest, Saudi Arabia is the only bidder for the tournament in 11 years. Officially, the six designated hosts of the 2030 World Cup as well as Saudi Arabia for the 2034 edition are still in the status of applicants – but Infantino announced the realities around a year before the world association congress with all member countries.
“The Greatest Show on Earth will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States in North America in 2026. The next two editions will be held in Africa (Morocco) and Europe (Portugal and Spain), with three festivals in South America (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) – in 2030 and in Asia (Saudi Arabia) in 2034,” wrote the Swiss on Tuesday evening on Instagram: “Three editions, five continents and ten countries involved in hosting the tournament – this is how football becomes truly global!”
Human rights situation in Saudi Arabia “appalling”.
The applications were accepted by the FIFA Council “by consensus after a constructive dialogue and extensive consultations,” Infantino continued, underlining the power of the game. “We live in an increasingly divided and aggressive world and show once again that football, the world’s leading sport, unites like nothing else.”
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Saudi Arabia in particular has come under massive criticism from human rights organizations. According to Human Rights Watch, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia is “appalling.” The organization cited mass executions, the continued suppression of women’s rights and the murder of hundreds of migrants on the Yemeni border as examples. In addition, government critics are tortured and imprisoned, religious minorities are oppressed, and sex outside of marriage and same-sex relationships are punishable by the death penalty.
