Last week, a decision was made about the World Cup in 2034. It will be the 25th edition of the tournament, coming 104 years after the first edition of the football spectacular in 1930, when Uruguay were the hosts (and winners).
From that very first World Cup there has often been controversy about which nation (or nations) will host the tournament. France was a contentious pick in 1938, as was Sweden in 1958, as they broke with the early orthodoxy of switching between the Americas and Europe. As football has become ever more global, the competition has been held in a wider range of locations but it now seems that FIFA has adopted a new policy of trying to make the next pick completely insane and certainly more bizarre than the last.
Of course, all of this has nothing whatsoever to do with money, sportswashing, corruption or bribery and is just the football authorities looking to expand the game into new areas and give fans everywhere a chance to see the stars in action. In 2018 Russia was the host, presumably an award based on their firm commitment to industrial-scale, state-sanctioned doping in sport and equally dedicated approach to stealing land from surrounding countries (Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014).
Keen to outdo themselves, it was Qatar next, the fact that the desert nation had no stadia or infrastructure, no football culture and a climate that necessitated air-conditioned pitches clearly being absolutely nothing to worry about. Nothing to see here. The selection of Canada, Mexico and the USA as co-hosts in 2026 was relatively normal by comparison, though the thousands of miles between host cities don’t exactly help fans, players or the environment. Just the 2,800 miles between Vancouver and Miami, 2,600 and a six-and-a-half flight from Boston to LA, and a mere five-hour flight from Toronto to Mexico City.
Keeping things fairly normal and entirely consistent with sustainability and fan-friendliness, the 2030 World Cup will be held in Spain and Portugal. Not too bad. Oh, and Morocco. Oh and actually, let’s chuck in a few matches in Argentina, Uruguay and err, yeah, why not, Paraguay too.
So to top that World Cup centennial madness, choosing Saudi Arabia as a host nation makes total and perfect sense. And seriously, this really has nothing to do with sportswashing, money or corruption. It’s just that the fans loved the beer-less World Cup and searing heat of Qatar so much that everyone thought, let’s do this again. But let’s try and find somewhere with an even worse approach to human rights, democracy and basic freedoms.
Was Qatar a Good Host?
There were a lot of fears about how things would play out in Qatar but in the end, the 2022 World Cup was deemed a success. It might have been a little different to other football tournaments, with the lack of beer proving hugely unpopular with many fans, but by and large the consensus seemed to be that it went well. It had its negatives but there were positives too.
However, by the time the 2024 Euros came around it seemed many had changed their tune. Fans, pundits and the media were rejoicing in the celebratory feel that the European Football Championship in Germany had. Stadia were packed with knowledgeable football fans, there was a vibrancy that came from everyone being welcome, the summertime scheduling felt right, and maybe, perhaps, beer played a part too, for good or bad.
What Will Saudi 2034 be Like?
The 2034 World Cup is, of course a long way off, and at this stage there is much we do not know about how the 2034 World Cup will play out. However, the decision is hugely controversial. Amnesty International almost immediately said the choice of Saudi as host “will put many lives at risk” whilst various other bodies have criticised FIFA’s choice.
Whilst the issue of alcohol being sold pales into insignificance compared to the many human rights issues a Saudi World Cup raises, we do at least know where we stand when it comes to beer. It seems almost certain that alcohol will not be available, either in grounds or even more generally.
The Guardian newspaper reported that “senior sources” within FIFA had told them that there was no chance of beer or other alcohol being sold at matches and that FIFA would not lobby for this.
Saudi is one of the strictest countries around on this issue, alcohol having been banned more than 70 years ago in 1952. Unlike some other Muslim countries where it is available to tourists in a limited way, in Saudi it is likely to prove impossible for fans to drink at all, though a very minor relaxation in fan zones and hotels remains a possibility.
Another Winter World Cup
Whilst the date of the 2034 World Cup kick-off is not yet known, it seems highly likely, like Qatar, to be a winter tournament. Average temperatures in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, see highs of 43°C and lows of 28°C in June and July. This is not feasible for either players or fans at a football tournament, so a switch to a less traditional slot is touted.
Saudi Arabia has relatively cool winters, with November to April a generous window within which the World Cup could be played, but November and December seem the most likely months. Clearly that will cause issues for the global football calendar but as we saw with Qatar, it is doable with relatively little disruption.
What About Venues?
With the Saudi Pro League having grown in prestige in recent years, the country does possess a number of viable stadia. Even so, the 2034 World Cup will use 11 new venues out of 15 in total. That clearly poses problems from an environmental perspective and also in terms of the labour needed to build the stadia and the conditions those workers will face.
Games will be played in Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha and Neom. If you aren’t familiar with Neom, that is because it doesn’t yet exist; it will be a new megacity/urban area that may not be fully built until 2070!
The #NEOMStadium will be the most unique stadium in the world, over 350m above ground and seamlessly integrated into THE LINE.
It will feature cutting-edge innovations to enhance viewing and participation experiences.#WelcomeToSaudi34 #Saudi34 #NEOM @Saudi2034 pic.twitter.com/3ouxWUEnkV
— NEOM (@NEOM) December 11, 2024
That rather encapsulates the nature of this World Cup and we’ll be giving it a miss. Far better, in our opinion, to wait for the 2038 tournament which FIFA (possibly) are set to award to a joint bid from the planet Neptune, Barnsley and the lost city of Atlantis.