Saudi Arabia is reinventing itself. A once-conservative desert monarchy marked by oil riches and human rights abuses, it now showcases sparkling ideals of the modern age: luxury marinas, waterfront promenades, coral reef ecotourism resorts, and world-class sports. Nowhere is this makeover more glaring than along the Red Sea coast of Jeddah, a fulcrum of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 — and a critical component of its bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
But beneath the glittering veneer of yachts, snorkeling excursions, and upscale cafes is a more sinister reality. This gilded image has nothing to do with tourism — everything to do with sportswashing: employing global events and lavish development to sanitize a record tainted by war crimes, oppression, and the suppression of fundamental freedoms. The world cannot be diverted. We need to boycott the 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia and expose the complicity of the world that enables authoritarian states to swap yachts for justice.
The Red Sea’s Shining Makeover: A Distraction?
Saudi Arabia’s remake of its western coast is truly breathtaking. It was once better known as a religious entry point, and now Jeddah is the poster child of the ambitions of Vision 2030. In 2024 alone:
- 30 million overseas tourists traveled to Saudi Arabia, up 8% from 2023.
- SR168.5 billion ($44 billion) was spent by visiting tourists.
- Jeddah’s “Season” festival hosted 1.7 million tourists in a mere 52 days.
- The Roshn Waterfront, a recently developed 4.2 km seafront promenade, now hosts more than 55 million tourists every year.
- More than 1,000 Saudis were trained in sea-based tourism jobs, including dive instructors and marina managers.
From Six Senses and Sheybarah mega-resorts to the luxury 101-berth yacht marina of the Jeddah Yacht Club, the entire coastline is designed to wow the world elite. Floating hotels, yacht tours, and virtual dive guides are on the planning agenda to welcome a new crop of “experience-driven” travelers. Saudi Arabia invites you to see its coral reefs, not its atrocities.
The Unseen Cost of Glitz: War, Repression, and Sportswashing
Saudi Arabia’s preoccupation with image-making didn’t begin with tourism. The last decade has seen the kingdom splash billions on international sports deals, including:
- Purchasing the English Premier League club Newcastle United
- Hosting Formula 1, boxing events, WWE, eSports competitions, and more
- Splashing an estimated $6.4 billion on sports-related investments from 2021 to 2023, per the Guardian
Now that the 2034 FIFA World Cup is cemented, Saudi Arabia has its prized jewel. But this is not merely sports diplomacy, it’s sportswashing.
“Sport is now Saudi Arabia’s global brand management tool — not just a soft power strategy, but a shield against scrutiny,” says Human Rights Watch director Minky Worden.
While the globe shouts for goals in the stadiums, Saudi jails continue to overflow. Activists such as Loujain al-Hathloul, who campaigned for women’s right to drive, were jailed and tortured for 1000 days. Journalists such as Jamal Khashoggi were killed in 2018 and mutilated in Saudi consulates.
The Saudi-backed, Saudi-funded, Saudi-bombed war in Yemen has killed almost 400,000 people, directly and indirectly, since 2015. Saudi-led air strikes killed 60% of civilians in 2016, the UN says, targeting hospitals, weddings, and schools. Now, Saudi Arabia wishes to fill those memories with beach drone displays and jet ski competitions.
Vision 2030: Rebranding Tyranny as Reform
Vision 2030 comes as a national reform: modernizing the economy, empowering women, and opening up society. But the story conceals more than it discloses. Yes, women in Saudi Arabia now sail and run marinas, but they remain unable to criticize the state without facing imprisonment.
Yes, there are concerts in Jeddah, but freedom of speech and the press remain absent. These “reforms” are privileges, not rights; handed out at the pleasure of a monarchy, not freedoms.
Saudi expert Madawi Al-Rasheed describes “Vision 2030” as not democratization but modernization without liberalization. Even the kingdom’s green claims — such as “regenerative tourism” and the protection of coral reefs — sound insincere when contrasted with its fossil fuel hegemony and history of environmental disregard.
Why FIFA’s Complicity Matters
FIFA asserts that football belongs to all people — a game of inclusion, human dignity, and solidarity. But awarding Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup is in direct conflict with those values.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has complimented Saudi “progress,” but critics say the choice to speed up the bidding process was a mockery of ethics and transparency. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemned the choice, saying that there was complete disregard for the rights of workers, freedom of expression, and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Homosexuality is still illegal in Saudi Arabia, with the punishment being prison, flogging, or death. Women can’t marry without constraint, travel without the permission of men in many instances. There isn’t an independent civil society, free press, or political opposition. Bringing the FIFA World Cup to Saudi Arabia is not only tone-deaf — it’s morally bankrupt.
The Role of the Global Public: Why Boycott Matters
As resorts along the Red Sea open up and cruise ships berth off the shores of Jeddah, it’s easy to think change is imminent. But change without responsibility isn’t justice — it’s whitewashing. We, the citizens, the fans, and the world’s voices, can’t let this erasure of reality stand. Here’s how:
- Call on corporate sponsors such as Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Visa to pull their sponsorship from FIFA 2034
- Call upon national teams to boycott the tournament or publicly denounce it
- Inform fellow supporters of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the true purpose behind Vision 2030
Lend support to human rights groups cataloging abuses and advocating for the silenced voices behind glossy PR efforts
Football Cannot Be Played on a Foundation of Oppression
Jeddah’s Red Sea shore can now glitter with top-of-the-world marinas, but the waters cannot wash clean the blood of innocents. While Saudi Arabia constructs floating hotels and coral-watching glass submarines, we should recall the bombed villages of Yemen, the imprisoned reformers, and the muffled dissidents.
The FIFA World Cup is not a game — it is a platform. And by providing that platform to tyrannical governments such as Saudi Arabia, we become abettors of their acts. We have to oppose sportswashing. We have to oppose oppression. We have to boycott the Saudi FIFA World Cup 2034.