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. Choose a language to view report Arabic Arabic English French Portuguese Spanish Download PDF Death Penalty Detention Human Rights Defenders and Activists International Organizations Migrants Morocco/Western Sahara Portugal Report Research Saudi Arabia Slums and the Right to Housing Spain Research Recently added Mozambique: SADC must take strong stand against spiralling police killings and assault on peaceful assembly Sudan: French-manufactured weapons system identified in conflict – new investigation Türkiye: Withdrawal of so-called ‘agents of influence’ law is important victory for civil society Sierra Leone: Authorities must repeal colonial vagrancy laws following historic ECOWAS ruling India: Landmark Supreme Court judgement must serve as a turning point in hate campaign against Muslims Write a letter, change a life Every year, our global community comes together to fight injustice and support people whose human rights are under threat. Join the Write for Rights campaign and demand justice by calling on decision makers to do the right thing.