People celebrated in Jeddah as Saudi Arabia was announced Wednesday as the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

The world's largest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2034, soccer's governing body announced Wednesday — a controversial selection that has already drawn criticism from human rights groups.

Saudi Arabia's was the only bid for the 2034 tournament, making its announcement on Wednesday a formality. And it is the biggest jewel yet of the long-running effort by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de-facto ruler, to rebrand the country and propel it onto the world stage.

Amnesty International: Confirmation of Saudi Arabia as 2034 FIFA World Cup host puts many lives at risk

Following today’s confirmation of Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 World Cup at FIFA’s Extraordinary Congress, 21 organizations have published a joint statement condemning the move as a “moment of great danger” for human rights.

Signatories include Saudi diaspora human rights organizations, migrant workers’ groups from Nepal and Kenya, international trade unions, fans’ representatives and global human rights organizations.

Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Labour Rights and Sport, said: “FIFA’s 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. Based on clear evidence to date, FIFA knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless. The organization risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.

FIFA knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless.

Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Labour Rights and Sport: “At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham. Meanwhile, its continued failure to compensate migrant workers who were exploited in Qatar provides scant confidence that lessons have been learned. FIFA must urgently change course and ensure that the World Cup is accompanied by wide-ranging reforms in Saudi Arabia, or risk a decade of exploitation, discrimination and repression connected to its flagship tournament.

“FIFA’s flawed bidding process was also evident in the awarding of the 2030 World Cup, with significant human rights risks being left unaddressed. From excessive policing and forced evictions to workers’ rights and legalized discrimination, there remains a huge amount to do to ensure the 2030 tournament can be enjoyed by everyone in full respect of their rights.” 

Lina Alhathloul, Head of Monitoring and Advocacy, ALQST for Human Rights, a Saudi diaspora human rights organization, said: “It’s disheartening, if not surprising, that FIFA has awarded Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia hosting rights for the World Cup based on a heavily flawed bid, which side-stepped engagement with external stakeholders or the Saudi public themselves. Now it’s happened, urgent and sustained action is needed to mitigate the grave risks of labour and civil rights violations associated with the tournament, including by securing major and credible reforms.”

Bhim Shrestha, Co-founder of Shramik Sanjal, a worker-led network of migrant workers based in Nepal, said:

“We, the migrant workers, endure severe exploitation, and our vulnerability is often overlooked. Our lives matter – we fear for the lives of thousands of our migrant brothers and sisters who are at risk. FIFA must not turn a blind eye; the lives of migrants demand accountability and justice.”