2034 FIFA World Cup
[8] According to investigative reporting by The New York Times, Infantino played a key role in the selection of Saudi Arabia as host.
FIFA also unexpectedly sped up the bidding process for the 2034 World Cup, giving only 25 days for interested nations to express their intent to host.
The trade union Building and Wood Workers' International has warned that FIFA awarding Saudi Arabia the tournament goes against their conditions of human rights.
[12][13] The nontransparent nature of the bid has also been criticised by Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness, who stated that despite the reforms after the 2015 FIFA corruption case, little measures were taken to ensure that hosts met risk and human rights assessments; the NFF later abstained from voting on 11 December.
[14][15] On 11 November 2024, Amnesty International called on FIFA to stop the bidding process for the 2034 World Cup, citing human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia.
[17] On 25 November 2024, United States Senators Ron Wyden and Dick Durbin urged FIFA not to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia citing human rights concerns for citizens, workers, athletes, tourists, and members of the press in the country with no guarantee that human rights would be upheld during the tournament.
[18] Three days later, German and Danish MEPs Daniel Freund and Niels Fuglsang respectively criticised the closed door nature of the bid and suggested for a boycott if the tournament was awarded to Saudi Arabia to as they believed it was the only way to ensure a prevention of human rights violations.
[20] Hanan Elatr, the widow of slain Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi asked that FIFA honour her late husband during the tournament as allegations have been made against the Saudi government for their involvement in his 2018 assassination in Istanbul.
[23][24] Immigrants and labourers in the wider Gulf region face harsh living conditions, discrimination and racism in violation of their human rights according to non-governmental organizations.
[29] Owing to Saudi Arabia's climate, sporting events in the country typically take place during the cooler months of the year.
When Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup, the tournament was held in November and December in order to ensure comfortable playing conditions.
Football competitions in many other parts of the world in which World Cup players also compete, however, either do not run over the Northern Hemisphere winter at all (for example, China, Japan, and Brazil), or start or end very close to the Northern Hemisphere winter, to the extent that disruption to competition at this time of year is minimal (such as Argentina, Colombia, and Egypt).
[32][33] Consternation over the scheduling of the World Cup in Qatar came from European fans who had become accustomed to experiencing World Cup tournaments in the middle of the European summer, with traditions of watching games in outdoor spaces at bars or in public parks, and who felt their experience would be diminished by not being able to do this in winter.
