Saudi Arabia has been awarded the hosting rights for the men’s 2034 World Cup, despite the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. The decision was confirmed on Wednesday, December 11, with the 211 nations represented at the FIFA Extraordinary Congress voting in favour of the bid.

Saudi Arabia ran uncontested, after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) did not garner enough support, and Australia and New Zealand withdrew. The bid has been the subject of much controversy, due to the country’s human rights violations.

Similar to Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia criminalises same-sex activity between men and women, punishable by imprisonment, flogging, fines, deportation and even death under Sharia law. Furthermore, LGBTQ+ people have no legal protections from discrimination, and while there is no specific legislation against trans people, arrests and prosecutions for so-called ‘cross-dressing’ do occur.

Concerns have also been raised over what this will mean for women and migrant workers. 21 organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, published a joint statement in the wake of the news, describing it as a “moment of great danger”.

“By awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without meaningful protections, FIFA has today decided both to ignore our warnings and discard its own human rights policies,” the statement reads.

“Today, there is no shortage of evidence of migrant workers being exploited and subjected to racism, activists sentenced to decades in prison for expressing themselves peacefully, women and LGBTQIA+ people facing legalized discrimination, or residents forcibly evicted to make way for state projects. It is evident that without urgent action and comprehensive reforms, the 2034 World Cup will be tarnished by repression, discrimination and exploitation on a massive scale.”

The organisations went on to describe FIFA’s human rights policies as a “sham”, adding that “While the Saudi population undoubtedly deserves to experience the joy that international sport can bring, this cannot come at any price.”

They committed to mobilising the global human rights community “to ensure the violations and abuses of this World Cup are not ignored, and press for the fundamental changes needed to protect lives and expand freedoms”.

“The Saudi authorities, FIFA, national Football Associations, FIFA sponsors and companies involved in the World Cup – or profiting hugely from it – all have human rights obligations and responsibilities, and we will seek to hold them accountable,” the statement concluded.