Gulf state awarded the tournament amid accusations of ‘sportswashing’ over exploitation of its migrant workforce
Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the men’s World Cup in 2034 will probably lead to “severe and widespread rights violations”, say human rights organisations anticipating Fifa’s rubber-stamping of the Gulf state’s bid this week.
The country is the sole bidder for the tournament but has been heavily criticised for its treatment of mainly Asian and African migrant workers, who are crucial to its ability to build the new football stadiums and infrastructure necessary for running one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
More than 10 million migrants live in Saudi Arabia and work in construction, hospitality and the domestic sector. They have suffered abusive conditions including unsafe and dangerous working conditions, illegal recruitment fees and unpaid wages, according to humanitarian groups.
Saudi officials have been accused of failing to investigate the cause of workers’ deaths in the country, with rights advocates saying the poor living and working conditions endured by many migrants may be contributory factors in these deaths.
A Guardian investigation earlier this year found evidence of high numbers of unexplained deaths in Saudi Arabia of migrant workers from Bangladesh, with at least 13,685 dying in the country between 2008 and 2022. More than 1,500 Bangladeshis died in 2022 alone – a rate of more than four a day.
More recently, according to Bangladesh government data obtained by Human Rights Watch, 887 Bangladeshis died in Saudi Arabia between January and July 2024, with 80% of the deaths attributed to “natural causes”.
“How can we say if the death was natural or not? He died in Saudi Arabia, and we didn’t see him,” one Nepali relative of a migrant worker, whose death was categorised as due to natural causes, told Human Rights Watch.
Steve Cockburn, head of labour rights and sport at Amnesty International, said: “There’s no doubt there are workers working in unsafe conditions without the protections they require. If they [Saudi Arabia] are denying a problem then they won’t be finding a solution.”
Saudi Arabia says it maintains robust regulations and standards to safeguard workers’ rights and that thorough investigations are conducted into all workplace incidents. Suggestions of negligence or a lack of transparency are unfounded, it has added.
Fifa was heavily criticised for the abuse endured by many migrant workers in the lead‑up to the 2022 tournament in Qatar. However, it will confirm Saudi Arabia as the host this week without requiring any binding commitments to prevent further labour abuse.
A report by the law firm AS&H Clifford Chance, commissioned by Saudi Arabia and submitted to Fifa as part of its bid, failed to discuss the alleged abuse of migrant workers in its assessment, according to human rights groups that accuse the bid of “whitewashing” the Gulf kingdom’s record of exploiting and suppressing the rights of migrant workers.
Dr Maryam Aldossari, a Saudi activist and lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, said: “Women have previously been deployed as tokens of progress – whether in high-profile appointments or the lifting of restrictions such as the driving ban – all while women activists who fought for these rights were imprisoned, tortured or silenced.
“Now, the regime appears to be extending this strategy to sport, using the World Cup as a tool to whitewash its appalling human rights record. While stadiums gleam and the spotlight shines, women languish in prison for acts as innocuous as tweeting, migrant workers endure systemic exploitation, and dissent is crushed with ruthless efficiency.
“This isn’t modernisation; it’s sportswashing,” said Aldossari.
Handing the World Cup to Saudi Arabia would be a “grave failure”, said Fawzia al-Otaibi, whose sister was imprisoned for uploading pictures of herself with her head uncovered and social media posts supporting women’s rights.
“Sports should remain a platform for peace and progress, not an instrument to polish the image of oppressive regimes,” she said.
Fifa and the Saudi embassy were approached for comment. Fifa’s bid report has said Saudi Arabia submitted commitments to respecting, protecting and fulfilling internationally recognised human rights.
Cockburn said there was still time for Fifa to ensure better protections for workers and activists.
“We know the lessons from the World Cup in Qatar. It should be possible to push for reforms on worker rights and freedoms,” he said. “The World Cup could be a catalyst for change. Once the decision [the vote this week] is made, Fifa will bear responsibility for what follows.”
A spokesperson for Fifa said: “All relevant information, including the bid evaluation reports for the 2030 and 2034 Fifa World Cup, are available on our website.”
