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FIFA confirm Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup hosts: Will it be another winter tournament?

Another winter tournament? Saudi Arabia confirmed as 2034 World Cup hosts
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FIFA confirm Saudi Arabia as the hosts of the 2034 World Cup, raising the prospect of another winter tournament following Qatar 2022.

FIFA have confirmed that the 2034 World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia.

The hosts for the 2030 tournament were also confirmed at Wednesday's Extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting - attended by all 211 of FIFA's member nations via video link.

FIFA confirmed that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the majority of the 2030 tournament, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will host the first three matches to mark the 100th anniversary of football's biggest competition.

As the only bidding nation, Saudi Arabia won the right to hold the following edition of the World Cup in 2034 despite human rights concerns.

In a statement, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of labour rights and sport said: "FIFA's reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk.

"Based on clear evidence to date, Fifa knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless.

"The organisation risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow."

How did the vote take place?

Rather than a vote, FIFA president Gianni Infantino asked the member nations to show their support by acclamation, which saw nations give their approval by clapping in front of their cameras on their video feeds.

Norway abstained due to their "concerns regarding the current FIFA World Cup bidding process", while Switzerland also registered their doubts over the process.

The Football Association have confirmed they backed the bids for the 2030 and 2034 World Cup, but have asked for assurances that all fans will be "safe and welcome" in 2034.

An FA statement read: "Our focus is on ensuring that all our fans can attend and enjoy tournaments. The FA Board met the Saudi Arabian Football Federation last month to discuss their bid in more detail.

"We asked them to commit to ensuring all fans would be safe and welcome in Saudi Arabia in 2034 – including LGBTQ+ fans. They assured us that they are fully committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all fans.

"We believe that hosting World Cups can be a catalyst for positive change, which is best delivered by working collaboratively in partnership with host nations."

Will the 2034 World Cup be another winter tournament?

The 2034 finals will be the second World Cup to be held in the Middle East after the 2022 tournament took place in Qatar.

That competition had to be moved from the summer to November and December due to Qatar's hot climate in the usual World Cup window.

As per BBC Sport, there is a possibility that the 2034 tournament could be switched to the winter due to the extreme summer temperatures.

According to The Mirror, the Premier League are keen to avoid another winter World Cup due to the disruption to the domestic schedule.

The Premier League are said to be joined in their stance by other European leagues and player representatives amid fears the tournament could be played in January and February.

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Written by
Ben Sully

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