Saudi Arabia’s growing influence and massive spending in global sports have been detailed in research ahead of the kingdom being confirmed by FIFA next week as the 2034 World Cup host.

FIFA World Cup bid evaluation report has, remarkably, awarded Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup the joint highest bidding score ever. Human rights groups, however, have slammed FIFA for “whitewashing” the country’s human rights record and called out glossing over environmental concerns.

Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid received a higher technical score from FIFA than the 2026 joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico even though the Middle East nation has yet to construct several stadiums proposed for the tournament.

FIFA has approved the quality of Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup in a 110-page evaluation that noted higher risks related to human rights in the oil-rich kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is poised to be confirmed as the host of the 2034 men’s World Cup after FIFA approved its human rights record. The country was classified as ‘medium risk’ for human rights in FIFA’s evaluation report, despite warnings that migrant workers could face significant risks, including fatalities, during preparations for the tournament.

Fifa slipped out its official approval of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record late on Friday night to pave the way for the kingdom to be awarded the 2034 World Cup finals next month.

The vast construction projects proposed by Saudi Arabia for the 2034 Fifa World Cup are impressive, but present a medium risk of not being completed in time, football’s governing body Fifa has warned.

Saudi Arabia’s campaign to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 has achieved a record-breaking score of 419.8 out of 500 in FIFA’s Bid Evaluation Report. This marks the highest rating ever received by a nation vying for the tournament.