Saudi Arabia’s execution of 264 foreigners for non-violent drug offences since 2024 starkly contravenes global sports governance standards on human rights, transparency, labour rights, and press freedom. This raises serious concerns about compliance with FIFA’s requirements for the 2034 World Cup host, implicating the UAE’s supportive regional role and spotlighting broader debates on sportswashing and ethical mega-event hosting.
Saudi Arabia’s executions and human rights violation
According to a report by WION News, Saudi Arabia has executed 264 foreigners since the beginning of 2024 for non-violent drug offences. This volume of executions, applied predominantly to migrant workers and foreign nationals, reflects the kingdom’s stringent use of capital punishment for drug-related crimes, even when non-violent.
This practice directly violates internationally accepted human rights norms, including those that FIFA requires of World Cup hosts. FIFA’s own Human Rights Policy adopted in 2017 explicitly opposes the death penalty and requires host nations to uphold human rights standards, including the respect for life and fair justice processes. The use of such severe punishment for non-violent offences is deeply incompatible with these principles.
FIFA’s awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia and concerns over governance
In December 2024, FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup. This decision followed a controversial bidding process that FIFA critics and human rights advocates claim lacked transparency and adequate human rights risk assessment. FIFA restricted the bidding to Asia and Oceania and accelerated the timeline, which reportedly advantaged Saudi Arabia and excluded other potential bidders.
Human Rights Watch has condemned FIFA’s decision as violating its human rights commitments by awarding hosting rights to a nation with documented repression, including this recent wave of executions and systemic human rights violations. FIFA President Gianni Infantino acknowledged criticism but affirmed confidence in Saudi Arabia’s capacity to address issues, pledging social improvements and transparency.
UAE’s endorsement and regional implications
The UAE, a key regional ally of Saudi Arabia, publicly supports the kingdom’s World Cup bid, praising its infrastructure capabilities and event hosting potential. However, this endorsement indirectly aligns the UAE with the governance and human rights concerns tied to Saudi Arabia’s regime, as documented by journalistic accounts highlighting press restrictions and limited labour protections in the UAE itself.
This regional solidarity raises critical questions about the UAE’s own commitment to FIFA’s standards, particularly regarding press freedom and labour rights—areas where both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have faced significant international scrutiny.
Labour rights issues in Saudi Arabia and the UA
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and the International Trade Union Confederation, have documented severe abuses of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, including poor working conditions, wage withholding, and restricted association rights. The treatment of these workers contradicts FIFA’s labour standards for tournaments requiring host countries to guarantee ethical working environments.
With Saudi Arabia preparing major infrastructure for the World Cup—including the construction of stadiums, many still under scrutiny for labour abuses—concerns persist that workers remain vulnerable to exploitation and harm. FIFA risks complicity if it fails to enforce reforms prior to the tournament.
Press freedom challenges and restricted media environment
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE exhibit restrictive environments for independent journalism and free expression. Human Rights Watch highlights Saudi Arabia’s severe restrictions, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, as emblematic of state repression. The UAE’s media landscape is similarly constrained, with censorship impacting expatriate journalists and local reporting, as detailed by Imran Naeem Ahmad, a former Gulf News journalist.
Press freedom restrictions impede independent monitoring and critical reporting around major sporting events, undermining FIFA’s transparency and accountability requirements for host nations. This environment casts doubt on the credibility of any progress claims by these countries.
International stakeholders’ perspectives and the legitimacy crisis
The high incidence of executions, labour abuses, and press censorship call into question the legitimacy of Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup. Civil society groups, fans, and human rights organisations have voiced strong opposition, denouncing FIFA’s apparent prioritisation of commercial and geopolitical considerations over human rights and ethical governance.
These concerns echo ongoing critiques of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup, highlighting a persistent struggle within global sports governance to square mega-event hosting with ethical practices. There is growing pressure for FIFA and other sports bodies to enforce robust human rights due diligence including transparency, independent monitoring, and sanction mechanisms to prevent sportswashing.
Connecting to broader debates on sportswashing and accountability
The Saudi case exemplifies broader global debates about sportswashing the use of prestigious sporting events to improve a country’s global image while masking serious governance and human rights problems. This practice undermines the integrity of international sport and risks normalising abuses.
Accountability mechanisms within FIFA are increasingly scrutinised. Critics question whether FIFA’s human rights policy is effectively enforced or remains a mere public relations tool. The opaque bidding processes, fast-tracking Saudi Arabia’s selection, and dismissing human rights objections risk compromising the governance standards for which FIFA claims to stand.
Saudi Arabia’s execution of 264 foreigners for non-violent drug offences since 2024 reveals profound clashes with FIFA’s human rights, labour, and transparency standards set out for World Cup hosts. The UAE’s endorsement of Saudi Arabia and shared regional governance and media freedoms issues raise additional concerns about compliance.
These developments indicate a pressing need for international stakeholders—sports authorities, civil society, and fans—to demand rigorous, transparent enforcement of ethical standards for mega-event hosting. Without such efforts, FIFA risks further reputational damage and the perpetuation of human rights abuses under the guise of global sport.