Zurich:The World's footballing body, FIFA(International Federation of Association Football) announced Saudi Arabia as the host nation for the 2034 World Cup on Wednesday. The FIFA Congress meeting also named Morocco, Spain and Portugal as co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup. Saudi Arabia will be the second Middle Eastern nation to host the marquee tournament after the 2022 World Cup being held in Qatar. Also, it will be the first 48-team tournament in a single host country.
As Saudi is all set to host the event, here are some of the key factors of the tournament which will enlighten the football fans around the globe about the competition.
Where the matches will be played?
A total of 15 stadiums across five cities - Eight in the capital Riyadh, four in the Red Sea port city Jeddah, and one each in Abha, Al Khobar and Neom - will host the competition. Each venue will have at least 40,000 seating capacity.
The opening fixture of the tournament and final game will be hosted by the venue in Riyadh will have a seating capacity of around 92,000. Saudi Arabia will host all the 104 fixtures in the tournament.
The scheduling window for theWorld Cup
In the traditional World Cup period of June-July, the temperatures usually exceed 40 Celsius (104 degrees). During the World Cup 2022, FIFA moved the Qatar-hosted World Cup to November-December, but these dates were not loved by most European clubs and leagues whose seasons were interrupted. The 2034 edition is likely to be hosted in January according to Associated Press.
Will stadiums be segregated for men and women?
The Vision 2030 program of Saudi Arabia includes the aim of giving more rights and freedoms to women in a traditionally conservative society. The kingdom came up with a decision in 2017 to allow women to attend sports events, initially in major cities and in family zones apart from men-only sections.
By 2034 it is expected that female fans will not be restricted considering the the pace of social reforms. Saudi Arabia started a women’s professional soccer league in 2022 which also included players from clubs in Europe. Those women footballers have no restrictions While playing in shorts and with hair uncovered.
Will alcohol be allowed at the venues or hotels?
The policy regarding the prohibition of alcohol is very clear and understood in Saudi. The alcohol issue turned out to be problematic The alcohol issue turned out to be problematic for the World Cup in Qatar due to the expectation that beer sales would be allowed at stadiums. FIFA extended a long-time deal to have Budweiser as the official World Cup beer through 2022.
The host country then turned back on the promise just three days before the first fixture which caused confusion. In Qatar, alcohol was served only in luxury suites at the stadiums. Saudi Arabia has stricter rules on alcohol and there isn't any indication that the host country will change their rules for hosting the tournament.
How will workers' rights be protected?
Although Saudi Arabia has the hosting rights for the FIFA World Cup, they faced a lot of criticism regarding the violation of human rights. Multiple groups have raised concerns over potential labor and civil rights violations but Saudi promises to reform and enforce labor laws, and fully respect migrant workers.
Protecting the rights of the migrant workers needed to build stadiums still remains a tough challenge for Saudi Arabia.
Would Israel be allowed to play if it qualified for the 2034 World Cup?
Saudi-Israeli relations had been improving when FIFA all but gave the 2034 World Cup to the kingdom on October 4 last year. Israel was attacked by Hamas three days later and it made diplomacy more complicated. Usually, any soccer federation bidding to host a FIFA tournament accepts a basic principle that whichever team qualifies is welcome.
However, such an instance occurred last year when Indonesia put up barriers for Israel last year during the Men's T20 World Cup. That did not stop Indonesia from putting up barriers last year to Israel coming for the men’s Under-20 World Cup. FIFA then moved the entire tournament to Argentina and the Israeli side entered the semi-final.
Where will the final of the 2030 World Cup be played?
FIFA Congress formally appointed Saudi Arabia host of the tournament. One game each will be played from June 8-9 in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The tournament will kick off four days later for the next 101 matches which are to be shared between Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
The final of the tournament will be played on July 21, 2030, but the venue for the final still remains in question.
