ZURICH (AP) 鈥� Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed Wednesday by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men鈥檚 soccer, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich by the soccer body鈥檚 president Gianni Infantino.
鈥淭he vote of the congress is loud and clear,鈥� said Infantino, who had asked officials on a bank of screens to clap their hands at head level to show their support.
The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games.
The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930.
The decisions complete a mostly opaque 15-month bid process which Infantino helped steer toward Saudi Arabia without a rival candidate, without taking questions, and which will put the lives of migrant workers at risk.
鈥淲e look forward to hosting an exceptional and unprecedented edition of the FIFA World Cup by harnessing our strengths and capabilities to bring joy to football fans around the world,鈥� Prince Mohammed said in a statement.
FIFA and Saudi officials have said hosting the 2034 tournament can accelerate change, including more freedoms and rights for women, with Infantino on Wednesday calling the World Cup a 鈥渦nique catalyst for positive social change and unity.鈥�
鈥淚 fully trust our hosts to address all open points in this process, and deliver a World Cup that meets the world鈥檚 expectations,鈥� the FIFA president said.
An international collective of rights groups said FIFA made a 鈥渞eckless decision鈥� to approve Saudi Arabia without getting public assurances, and the it was 鈥渢he day football truly lost its mind.鈥�
A was cleared last year by FIFA accepting the three-continent hosting plan for the . It meant only soccer federations in Asia and Oceania were eligible for the 2034 contest, and FIFA gave countries less than four weeks to declare a bid. Only Saudi Arabia did.
The win will kick off a decade of scrutiny on mostly from South Asia needed to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums, plus hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament.
Amnesty International said awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia represents 鈥渁 moment of great danger鈥� for human rights.
鈥淔IFA鈥檚 reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk,鈥� said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International鈥檚 Head of Labor Rights and Sport."
One of the stadiums is planned to be 350 meters (yards) above the ground in Neom 鈥� a futuristic city that does not yet exist 鈥� and is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff near Riyadh.
During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia鈥檚 human rights record that was widely .
Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA it has not learned the lessons of Qatar鈥檚 much-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.
鈥淎t every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham," Cockburn said.
The kingdom plans to spend tens of billion of dollars on projects related to the World Cup as part of the crown prince鈥檚 sweeping Vision 2030 project that aims to modernize Saudi society and economy. At its core is spending on sports by the $900 billion sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund, which he oversees. Critics have called it 鈥渟portswashing鈥� of the kingdom's reputation.
The prince, known as MBS, has built close working ties to Infantino since 2017 鈥� aligning with the organizer of sport鈥檚 most-watched event rather than directly confronting the established system as it did with .
The result for Saudi Arabia and FIFA has been smooth progress toward the win Wednesday with from soccer officials, though some from women international players.
The steady flow of Saudi cash into international soccer is set to increase.
FIFA created a new and higher World Cup sponsor category for , and Saudi funding is set to underwrite the in the United States that is a pet project for Infantino.
North American soccer body CONCACAF signed a multi-year deal with PIF, Saudi stadiums host Super Cup games for Italy and Spain, and nearly 50 FIFA member federations have signed working agreements with Saudi counterparts.
Lavish spending by in the past two years buying and paying players 鈥� including , Neymar, Karim Benzema and 鈥� put hundreds of millions of dollars into European soccer.
That influence could be key in talks to agree which months to play the 2034 World Cup. The November-December slot taken by Qatar in 2022 to avoid extreme midsummer heat is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games.
Still, January 2034 could be an option 鈥� and likely better for European clubs and leagues 鈥攁fter the it saw few issues in clashing with the Salt Lake Winter Games opening Feb. 10, 2034. The IOC also has a , to host the new Esports Olympics.
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AP soccer:
Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press
