High stakes bids: Dangerously flawed human rights strategies for the 2030 and 2034 FIFA world cups
In December 2024, 211 FIFA member associations will vote on whether to approve Morocco, Portugal and Spain as hosts of the 2030 men’s World Cup and Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 tournament. This briefing analyses the human rights strategies submitted by the bidding nations for both tournaments, comparing them with FIFA’s requirements and a detailed risk assessment produced by Amnesty International in June 2024. It concludes that neither bid has adequately demonstrated how they have met FIFA’s human rights criteria. While a more credible human rights strategy is required for the 2030 tournament, the outstanding risks in Saudi Arabia are so severe that FIFA should halt the bidding process for the 2034 tournament until major reforms are introduced.