2024-03-02 11:08:35
On Friday, Saudi Arabia officially launched its campaign to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, in a race that has become almost symbolic since last October when the oil-rich kingdom became the only candidate in the race.
The Saudi Football Association revealed the campaign slogan, “Together We Grow,” and the campaign slogan carried two multi-colored stripes that form the number 34. The Federation said that the slogan was designed to reflect “the essence of the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage and its young and vibrant society,” according to the Associated Press.
FIFA is expected to approve Saudi Arabia’s request to host the tournament in an uncontested vote among the 211 member associations of the ruling entity before the end of 2024. The date and location of the vote have not yet been announced.
The announcement of the campaign did not provide any new details regarding the cities and stadiums hosting the 48-team tournament, which is expected to be held between November and December 2034. The Kingdom currently aims to host the tournament alone, but it may share some matches later with neighboring countries and emirates.
The first men’s World Cup with 48 teams will be held in 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The 2030 tournament will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one match each in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. These plans must be officially confirmed during the current year.
Saudi football witnessed a radical transformation last year as Saudi clubs owned by the Public Investment Fund sought to attract prominent football stars such as Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and Frenchman Karim Benzema, at a time when Saudi Arabia faces accusations from international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Amnesty International, by practicing sports polishing in light of the deteriorating human rights situation in the Kingdom, including women’s rights, and practices such as arbitrary arrest, execution, and persecution of journalists.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed radical changes with the “reforms” of Prince Mohammed bin Salman within “Vision 2030”, which seeks to diversify the Kingdom’s economy away from oil. Women were given relative freedoms and were allowed to drive cars, work, and obtain a passport. The Kingdom also began to encourage the entertainment economy by attracting artistic concerts in addition to the sports sector… although these reforms often collided with conservative segments within society, and produced internal debate.
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