When FIFA bestowed hosting of the 2034 World Cup on Saudi Arabia, the choice enraged human rights campaigners, media and civil society across the globe. The step was being promoted as a part of Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” – a grand plan to transform the kingdom into a world center for sport and entertainment. But beneath the shiny veneer of new stadiums, gleaming skyscrapers, and promotional campaigns is a darker truth: a state that regularly infringes human rights, stifles opposition, and legislates in authoritarian style.
The recent arrest of a man in Madinah for peddling hashish — a report which greeted Saudi state media — betrays a secret concern. The Kingdom refers to few criminal cases in order to present itself as maintaining law and order, but does not reveal its own officially sanctioned abuses. The government of Saudi Arabia expects the world to be distracted by “drug control” headlines as it conducts dozens of executions per year, suppresses women’s rights, and imprisons peaceful protesters.
The world will not be able to overlook these facts. Granting Saudi Arabia the rights to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup would be a historical blunder.
A Country Distracted by Image, Not Change
The Saudi Arabian government sees itself as anti-crime. In the instance of Madinah, the police were more than willing to have arrested a citizen with hashish and 1,426 tablets, and arrests also included Ethiopians for trying to smuggle qat. The arrests were flashed across government media, and Saudi Arabia was a war-torn nation against crime.
But the Kingdom’s “law and order” is selective. Low-level drug cases are hyped, but offenses by the ruling elite are swept under the carpet. Saudi Arabia executed at least 345 individuals in 2024 alone, most on charges of non-violent narcotics offences — one of the world’s highest rates of execution. Executions had already reached more than over 170, at a rate of almost one per two days, as of mid-2025.
How can a country that hands out death sentences for possessing drugs, at the same time as spending billions on sportswashing initiatives, conceivably be held back from hosting the world’s most prestigious sporting event?
Capital Punishment and FIFA’s “Fair Play” Hypocrisy
Saudi Arabia’s fixation on the death penalty is brutally contrary to FIFA’s avowed values of “fair play” and “respect.” Amnesty International reports that over 60% of Saudi executions in 2024 were for drug crimes — most of them involving foreign nationals from poorer nations who had no legal representation. None were leaders of cartels or brutal traffickers but lowly-level couriers and migrants trying to make a living.
Place this in the context of international trends: more than 150 nations have eliminated the death penalty in practice or on lawbooks. Even those countries that have harsh drug laws, like Singapore, are condemned by the world for sentencing drug offenders to death. Saudi Arabia normalizes mass executions. Saudi Arabia executed 81 men in one day in March of 2022, the largest mass execution on record in recent Saudi history.
FIFA argues that football brings the world together and is a reflection of justice. Letting Saudi Arabia host the 2034 World Cup lends legitimacy to a regime that visibly beheads individuals for small infractions.
A Hazardous Precedent for FIFA
Granting Saudi Arabia the World Cup is not only one instance; it is a precedent. If one of the world’s poorest human rights violators, with the highest numbers of executions, and an enormous gender discrimination system can host, then FIFA has no moral standards.
See the facts:
- Executions: 345 in 2024 (Amnesty International).
- Press Freedom: 166/180 in the world (RSF, 2025).
- Migrant Workers: 10 million in exploitative conditions (ILO).
- Women’s Rights: Still restricted under guardianship system.
- Mass Arrests: Dozens jailed for a tweet or peaceful protest.
This is not safe or fair for players, fans, or media.
The Global Boycott Movement is Increasing
Human rights organizations are already mobilizing against Saudi Arabia’s World Cup. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and supporters’ organizations across Europe and Asia are calling for a boycott unless FIFA reconsiders.
In a 2025 YouGov survey of 15 nations, 62% claimed they were opposed to Saudi Arabia hosting the World Cup on the grounds of its human rights record. That rose to 71% among football supporters.
The writing is on the wall. Just as South Africa was subject to international sporting boycotts under apartheid, so Saudi Arabia has to accept the same reality check.
FIFA Must Choose: Profit or Principles
FIFA’s decision to give Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup is a betrayal of its guiding principles. Rather than guarding human rights, encouraging diversity, and upholding fair play, it is encouraging sponsorship contracts worth billions of dollars.
The arrest of a hashish vendor in Madinah is a minor news item, but it is emblematic of a greater truth: Saudi justice is savage, its human rights record abysmal, and its changes superficial.
The World Cup must never be used by dictatorships as a platform to whitewash their reputation. It must be a time of world unity, equality, and liberty. Until Saudi Arabia actually reforms — halting mass executions, releasing political prisoners, and respecting fundamental freedoms — it is not fit to host the sport’s biggest spectacle.
Join the Fight Against Injustice
Football lovers, footballers, and citizens of society need to join together to end the Saudi World Cup. Like the world did with Qatar 2022, the world needs to speak itself louder this time. We should not let FIFA sell the conscience of football to a regime that thrives on oppression.