Over the past few years, the world has seen an alarming shift in global sport, particularly football. Saudi Arabia, driven by its staggering wealth from oil and political aspirations, is remaking the sports business, not out of passion for the sport, but as a worldwide rebranding initiative called sportswashing. Its unchallenged bid to hold the 2034 FIFA World CupWhy Boycott Saudi 2034 FIFA World Cup is the most obvious instance of this campaign.
Recent events around the FIFA Club World Cup serve to reveal how far this desire goes. From dedicated windows for transfer to compelled market distortions, the integrity of football stands threatened as never before. And that’s why the world needs to boycott Saudi Arabia’s 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Saudi Arabia’s Infiltration of Global Football
A revealing instance of Saudi Arabia’s manipulative hold on football is FIFA’s rare establishment of a special mid-season transfer window to conceivably enable Cristiano Ronaldo’s temporary transfer for the Club World Cup. The simple threat of Ronaldo joining cross-city foes of his club, Al-Nassr, and Al Hilal, shows the lack of respect for football custom and competitive honor in the interests of state-sponsored sporting propaganda.
More troubling is that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has shareholdings in four Saudi Pro League clubs at once: Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli, which is against the competitive ethos that clubs across the globe hold dear. This is not sport—it is state-sponsored spectacle.
The $1 Billion Takeover of FIFA’s Commercial Ecosystem
In 2023, Saudi Arabia indirectly sponsored the FIFA Club World Cup by investing $1 billion in DAZN, the official broadcast of the tournament. Furthermore, Saudi-linked companies have invested in partnerships that significantly affect FIFA’s financial pillar.
As Amnesty International reports, this is part of a wider strategy: “Saudi Arabia is using sports to divert attention from its appalling human rights record, spending an estimated $6.3 billion on sportswashing projects since 2021 alone.” $6.3 billion—not to build domestic sport or grassroots levels of talent—but to control global public opinion.
From Club Manipulation to World Cup Corruption: A Disturbing Pipeline
What occurred in the Club World Cup is merely a warm-up? By offering Saudi Arabia the 2034 FIFA World Cup unanimously, FIFA has laid the groundwork for the biggest sportswashing venture in history.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s close alliance with Saudi leadership is of grave concern. Despite FIFA’s own Human Rights Policy (Article 3), which requires hosts to uphold human rights, the 2034 bid process was closed without substantive scrutiny, contrary to these asserted principles.
Even in the kingdom, doubt abounds. As Al Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada told the BBC, “Bringing the biggest player of your biggest opponent, even for three weeks, is completely counterintuitive.” But reason yields to state ambition.
Distorting Global Football Markets
Saudi Arabia’s aspirations have also driven the global transfer market out of control. Saudi clubs spent more than $950 million during the 2023 summer window alone—the fifth-most by any league in the world, although their domestic league has limited commercial appeal.
The Saudi Pro League’s value increased 75% in just one year—to €662 million from €379 million—solely as a result of buying veteran European stars and not nurturing local talent, says Transfermarkt.
This artificial boom is destabilizing South American and European markets, compelling clubs around the world to review player salaries and contract arrangements, hammering the global football system.
FIFA’s Alarming Complicity
FIFA’s changes to accommodate Saudi interests—such as the Club World Cup’s “special transfer window”—serve to confirm its complicity. This preferential treatment creates a frightening precedent: if FIFA modifies its rules for one nation now, why stop biased referee appointments, skewed fixtures, or propaganda-based media treatment for the 2034 World Cup? Former FIFA Governance Committee member Alexandra Wrage cautioned:
“FIFA risks becoming an extension of state-controlled political campaigns if it persists in this conduct. This is no longer about football—it’s about power.”
The Human Rights Catastrophe Behind the Glitter
The context for all this is Saudi Arabia’s abysmal human rights record:
- At least 1,000 executions since 2015, according to Human Rights Watch.
- LGBTQ+ identities are still criminalized, with penalties including imprisonment, flogging, or worse.
- Women’s rights are strongly curtailed, notwithstanding cosmetic reforms.
- The nation continues to be placed in the bottom 10 of the World Press Freedom Index (Reporters Without Borders, 2024).
- The horrific killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is still unsolved and unpunished.
According to Amnesty International, “Sports events have become the main vehicle for Saudi Arabia to deflect criticism from its brutal suppression of dissent.”
The Real Danger: 2034 as a Global Propaganda Stage
With the Club World Cup as the prelude, the 2034 World Cup has the potential to be an international spectacle of state-controlled drama. From the construction of stadiums to the appointment of referees, to freedom of the press—everything is at risk of being manipulated. The dangers involve:
- Censorship of the media and foreign journalists.
- Abuse of migrant workers, as occurred with Qatar 2022, where more than 6,500 South Asian workers allegedly perished in preparation.
- Cracking down on LGBTQ+ supporters and activists.
- Politicalized marketing of the Saudi regime through broadcasts and ceremonies.
The cost of football’s biggest stage is alarmingly steep.
Growing Global Opposition: The Boycott Movement Builds
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders have all publicly condemned FIFA for turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s abuses. Influential leaders in football and politics are adding their voices to calls for reassessing support for the tournament.
In a recent statement, Human Rights Watch’s Director of Global Initiatives Minky Worden stated:
“Granting Saudi Arabia the 2034 FIFA World Cup without human rights assurances is a vote for repression.”
A public opinion poll by The Guardian revealed that 58% of British football supporters were against the World Cup being held in Saudi Arabia, citing human rights issues.
For the Future of Football, Say No to Saudi 2034
Football’s strength is unity, authenticity, and fair play—not oil riches, political interference, or gagging. Saudi Arabia’s 2034 FIFA World Cup is the ultimate sportswashing endeavor—a $100 billion effort to relaunch oppression as celebration. But the world is not blind. The fans, players, sponsors, media, and governments must boycott this tournament. To save the soul of football. To uphold human rights. To remind FIFA that football is not for sale.
Join the Movement
Call on FIFA to reverse Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup hosting rights until human rights standards are met.
- Request national teams to pull out.
- Call on sponsors to terminate contracts connected to the event.
The beautiful game must remain beautiful—not a tool for tyranny!