In 2034, the largest sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup is coming to Saudi Arabia. To some, it might look like a symbol of progress: a conservative Gulf state opening up to international events, boosting tourism, and building sports infrastructure. But beneath the shining veneer is a harsh truth: a nation with one of the worst human rights records in the world, and one now employing sport as a way to clean up its international image.
Recent media accounts have again revealed Saudi Arabia’s harsh justice system. Within three days, 17 individuals were put to death, 13 of whom were foreign nationals. This is part of a larger pattern. In 2024, the monarchy conducted 338 executions, and 2025 is on track to outdo that with 239 executions already carried out as of August, as counted by an AFP tally.
These statistics are not only statistics,these are lives lost, frequently for non-violent crimes like drug trafficking. A large number of people being executed are poor migrant laborers with no access to equitable trials. As Saudi Arabia bids to host the World Cup, the question is: Can we enjoy football in a nation where justice stops at the gallows?
The Death Penalty Crisis in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s leading executioners. Over the past few years, its application of the death penalty has only grown more intense. In March 2022, the world was stunned when the kingdom carried out 81 executions in a day, primarily for so-called “terrorist” crimes, most of which were allegedly political. Human rights groups denounced the action as “mass murder” in the name of national security. In 2025 alone:
- 239 people have been executed by August, over one a day.
- 161 for drug crimes, including low-level hashish and other drug smuggling.
- 136 of the executed were foreign nationals, usually poor migrant workers from Pakistan, Nigeria, and Indonesia.
Reprieve’s Jeed Basyouni, a UK-based human rights organization, cautions:
‘’We are seeing a dramatic escalation of executions for hashish-related drug crimes, with foreign nationals accounting for the large majority of these executions. That is especially worrisome at a time when the world is moving in the direction of decriminalizing the possession and use of hashish.”
Saudi Arabia reinstated execution for drug crimes in late 2022, following a temporary hiatus, with full disregard for global human rights standards and advancing models of criminal justice.
Sportswashing and Vision 2030: Concealing Suppression Behind Stadiums
Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious strategy for economically and socially reforming the kingdom, is all about sports diplomacy: hosting mega-events such as boxing bouts, Formula 1 races, LIV Golf, and now the FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia. It has nothing to do with sport—it has everything to do with sportswashing.
Sportswashing is the phenomenon of utilizing sport to deflect attention from human rights violations, political repression, and bloodshed. As was the case with China during the Beijing Olympics or Russia during the Sochi Olympics and the 2018 World Cup, Saudi Arabia is employing football to clean up its global image. But the evidence is clear:
- Freedom House has placed Saudi Arabia as “Not Free” at a paltry 7/100 on its world freedom index.
- Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International persist in documenting pervasive torture, arbitrary arrest, and denial of due process.
- Migrant workers, who will construct the stadiums and cater to tourists, are routinely exploited under the Kafala system, where employers sponsor workers’ visas and livelihoods.
By hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia, the global football fraternity is rewarding a government that murders dissidents, tortures critics, and decapitates drug offenders—all while presenting glossy PR campaigns to the West.
FIFA’s Hypocrisy on Human Rights
FIFA embraced a Human Rights Policy in 2017, promising to uphold internationally recognized human rights and to make sure that host countries respect them too. These assurances are hollow, however, when the governing body looks away from atrocities.
Article 3 of the FIFA Statutes reads:
“FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.”
But FIFA has done nothing to make Saudi Arabia pay. Indeed, Saudi Arabia won the tournament bid unopposed, with questions regarding ethics and transparency.
As Human Rights Watch’s Minky Worden said:
“If FIFA lets Saudi Arabia host the World Cup without enforcing serious human rights conditions, it will become an active partner in sportswashing Saudi abuses.”
Targeting the Vulnerable: Foreigners and Migrants Bear the Brunt
Perhaps the most appalling aspect of Saudi Arabia’s executions is that most of them are foreign nationals. These are not fat diplomatic shipments or political elites. They are poor migrants, pressured or deceived into smuggling narcotics, prosecuted in unjust hearings, and beheaded without proper legal counsel.
Saudi Arabia claims its executions deter crime and preserve order. But global trends show that harsh penalties like capital punishment do not deter drug crime. Rather, they disproportionately harm the poor, the vulnerable, and the voiceless.
In a world where over 50 countries have decriminalized or legalized cannabis, Saudi Arabia is executing people for possessing hashish.
Global Precedents: Why a Boycott Is Not Extreme
Others might contend that sport must keep itself apart from politics. History disagrees.
- South Africa was excluded from the Olympics and FIFA competitions for years under apartheid.
- Russia invited broad criticism and partial boycotts following its annexation of Ukraine.
- Qatar 2022 ignited widespread outrage over migrant worker exploitation and LGBTQ+ freedoms, leading to promises of changes ahead.
Boycotting Saudi Arabia is not an act of aggression—it is a moral imperative. It is a call that FIFA, fans, sponsors, and athletes make not to be complicit in whitewashing tyranny.
A Call to Action: Say No to Saudi 2034
The hour is now. Football fans, human rights activists, and footballers have to join forces against the Saudi 2034 World Cup. This is not a matter of punishing a country—it is a matter of defending the very principles that make sport the great unifier that it is: fairness, dignity, and humanity. Let’s not glorify the beautiful game in a state where lives are lost in black-site prisons and killings are conducted behind closed doors.
Join the Movement
- Speak out: Post stories, petitions, and news using the hashtag #BoycottSaudi2034.
- Shake sponsors: Call on businesses like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Visa to refuse sponsorship of the tournament
- Call on FIFA: Call for open human rights screening for any future host countries
- Stand in solidarity: With the families of victims who have been executed and repressed.
A nation that puts to death individuals for having hashish, that brutalizes opponents, and that muzzles journalists is not worthy to host the FIFA World Cup. Football is for the people,not for despots. Let’s bring sportswashing to a halt!