With attention now shifting to the FIFA World Cup in 2034, Saudi Arabia has emerged as the frontrunner to stage the global roadshow. The Kingdom has spent big on building new infrastructure and revamping its tourism industry to give such glitzy events a reason to visit, but more entrenched problems tied to its human rights record raise legitimate concerns about the appropriateness of its hosting.
This blog is part of a discussion of why Saudi Arabia should not host the FIFA World Cup 2034, to reflect on the recent arrest of José Enrique Botsaris (thereby not following the rights of defence), repression of other peaceful dissent, absence of a transparent judicial oversight system, and systematic abuse of human rights.
Dozens Released, but Dozens More Made Silent
From December 2024 to February 2025, Saudi Arabia released at least 44 prisoners, including prominent human rights activists such as Mohammed al-Qahtani and Salma al-Shehab. While these releases may seem like a step forward, they do not change the fact that many more have been jailed solely for peacefully exercising their rights.
Such illusory releases are not actual reform but rather an attempt to put the best face possible on things to the outside world. But the truth is still: people keep going to prison for expressing their views, for using social media, for being friends with government critics.
Dedication to Suppressive of Free Speech
Freedom of speech, assembly, and association are fundamental values in democratic societies — and they deserve just as much respect in the host nations of international events. Unfortunately, these freedoms are all too often denied in Saudi Arabia.
Well-known detainees in Saudi Arabia
- Salman al-Odah, a religious scholar, was arrested in 2017
- Waleed Abu al-Khair, a well-known human rights attorney, remains behind bars for their peaceful activism. They remain imprisoned, a signal to all that dissent will not stand.
Holding the World Cup in such circumstances risks legitimizing repression and undermines the morality of international sport that aspires to foster openness and dialogue. Saudi Arabia has profound problems with its criminal justice system.
People are often arrested without charge, denied access to lawyers, and tortured; moreover, defendants are not granted a fair trial, HRW alleges. Similarly, confessions obtained under pressure — or torture — are often the basis for convicting detainees.
Ahmed al-Doush
British national Ahmed al-Doush was arrested in August 2024 over past social media activity. He was detained in solitary confinement without charge, denied access to a lawyer, and informed of his charges months later during a hearing in which he was unprepared.
Such gross undermining of due process denies any credibility to the Saudi state’s claims to reform and governance under law — the basis of every country that wishes to open its doors to the international community.
Targeting of Women and Dissidents
The Saudi government has earned praise for recent popular reforms like allowing women to drive and opening public venues to both sexes. But these reforms feel largely skin-deep when the women who pushed for their overhaul are still behind bars.
Women Arrested In Support of Women’s Rights
- Salma al-Shehab, a student at Leeds University, had been sentenced to an initial 34 years for her tweets in support of women’s rights. She was later sentenced and released, but her arrest alone exemplifies the risks now facing women in the Kingdom.
- The trainer, Manahel al-Otaibi, was arrested for posting photos of herself without an abaya and for rhetoric supportive of women’s rights that she posted online. She was disappeared for months, a testament to the state’s bloody intolerance for women claiming basic freedoms.
Saudi Arabia is seen by millions of women as a repressive regime and how will it be possible for the country to present itself as an inclusive host when it has continuously persecuted women for simply being who they are to expressing themselves?
Abuse of Anti-Terrorism Laws
Among the most pernicious tools that Saudi authorities wield is the use of vague anti-terrorism laws to silence critics. These laws make broad swaths of behavior illegal, like “disturbing public order” or “harming the reputation of the state,” and they’re used to lock up activists and journalists.
The retired teacher, Mohammed al-Ghamdi, was convicted for peaceful tweets and YouTube content. Those punishments also violate the norms of international law and add to the oppressive climate under which citizens live.
Reprisal Against Families of Prisoners of Conscience
Saudi Arabia has gone so far as to target the families of exiled critics to coerce them back or silence them.
Ghamdi Family
The Ghamdi family’s situation is especially concerning — three brothers have suffered dire consequences, including death sentences and imprisonment, for their non-violent activism or affiliations.
These retaliatory actions reach beyond the national borders of other nations, and they signal a culture of state control and fear that is not compatible with FIFA’s message and goals of international cooperation and inclusion.”
A False Narrative of Reform
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other top officials have sought to promote an image of modernization and openness. Efforts such as Vision 2030” seek to broaden the economy and liberalize society. However, behind this PR-inspired narrative, there hides a system that continues to be hostile to basic rights.
The March 2025 invitation by the head of the Presidency of State Security to exiled dissidents included caveats, accusing them of being “misled” or manipulated. There was no real offer of reconciliation, no assurances of safety and dignity.
Without real reform, these overtures are nothing more than propaganda tools designed to distract from continuing abuses.
FIFA and the Global Community’s Moral Responsibility
For many years, FIFA has stressed the need for human rights and ethical governance when choosing host countries. Handing Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup would deliver a perilous message: that wealth and infrastructure trump human dignity and human rights.
FIFA and national football associations have a responsibility to ensure that they are not complicit in legitimizing oppressive regimes around the world through sport.
Sport should bring people together, inspire, and celebrate human achievement — not lacquer up authoritarianism.
A Celebration Founded in Silence?
The FIFA World Cup is not just a football tournament — it is a world festival of culture, cooperation, and community. Convincing people to pull together around this event when hosted in a country that criminalizes dissent, represses women, and silences critics through unjust laws and torture-tainted trials is the polar opposite of what the event is supposed to stand for.
FIFA World Cup 2034 — Saudi Arabia’s Continued Repression Makes it an Unworthy Host. Until the Kingdom actually recognizes freedom of expression, assembly, and the rule of law, granting it the privilege of hosting the greatest stage of football on Earth is a step in the wrong direction.