Saudi Arabia’s expanding influence and massive investments in global sports ahead of being confirmed as the 2034 World Cup host were outlined in a report Monday, which highlighted concerns about governance challenges off the field.
The report, from Play The Game, a sports ethics institute based in Denmark, pointed to more than 900 sponsor deals – more than one-third linked to the $925 billion Saudi sovereign wealth fund – and a network of officials with dual roles in state, business, and sports.
The oil-rich kingdom’s multi-billion-dollar investments in football, golf, boxing, tennis, esports, and an upcoming ski resort will culminate next week with FIFA’s official awarding of the 2034 men’s World Cup.
The close ties between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have grown since 2018.
“Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy seeks to divert attention from these realities, revealing the tension between the ideals of sport and the realities of power, money, and politics,” Play The Game’s Stanis Elsborg said in the report.
FIFA passed a mandatory step toward the 2034 decision by publishing an in-house evaluation of the World Cup hosting plan over the weekend, offering more praise than critical analysis, including labor issues related to how most of the 15 stadiums will be built.
On Dec. 11 in Zurich, FIFA will host an online meeting to ask more than 200 member federations to acclaim Saudi Arabia as the 2034 host, 14 months after shaping a fast-tracked and narrow-focused contest that produced just one candidate.
Nearly 50 of those voters have signed working agreements with the Saudi football federation, while the football bodies for North America, Africa, and Asia separately struck cooperation deals or tournament sponsor agreements with the sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF), state oil firm Aramco, and the planned megacity project Neom.
“The awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia is merely the culmination of years of strategic investments and behind-the-scenes maneuvering,” said the report, titled Saudi Arabia’s Grip on World Sport.
FIFA itself signed Aramco in April to an elevated World Cup sponsor category of “major worldwide partner,” worth a reported $100 million per year through 2027.
The chairman of Aramco, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, also is governor of the PIF, which has a goal to “deliver a strategy focused on achieving attractive financial returns and long-term value for the country.” He is also chairman of the LIV Golf project, the new airline Riyadh Air, and the English Premier League club Newcastle.
“Aramco and FIFA intend to leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world,” FIFA said in April.
Saudi state and sports officials have consistently cited the crown prince’s Vision 2030 program to diversify the economy beyond oil dependence and modernize the traditionally conservative society while giving opportunities to a young population.
Infantino has not taken questions from international media nor held a news conference in the 14 months since the Saudi candidacy was declared. No news conference is scheduled for Dec. 11 at FIFA headquarters after the closed-door meeting.
More Saudi commercial deals are expected after the 2034 World Cup decision, either for the 2026 edition, being played in North America, or the revamped Club World Cup being staged in the United States next year.
“It’s very complex – there are lots of interlinked parts,” Dan Plumley, a sports finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday.
“We are living in a utopia if we think that sport and politics can be separated in the modern world because that’s impossible,” Plumley said. “There is always power, influence, and money, which ultimately dictates the direction of travel.”