FIFA and Saudi Arabia brace for decade of scrutiny after World Cup rights

The inevitable result has been clear since last year: Saudi Arabia will be confirmed by FIFA as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday.

The 2030 World Cup also will be awarded to a six-nation, three-continent project led by co-hosts Spain, Portugal Morocco. It gives a single game each at South American neighbors Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the first host in 1930.

Two men's World Cups, one candidate for each, both a shoo-in to win.

The outcome will be as FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino intended in October last year. Then, on the same day, the 2030 race was effectively decided and the 2034 one surprisingly opened.

FIFA is sending one of the biggest prizes in world sports toward the state modernizing project of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A decade of global scrutiny will follow.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON WEDNESDAY?  FIFA hosts a special congress in Zurich from 3 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) and its 211 member federations will attend remotely online. The closed-doors meeting at FIFA headquarters should be streamed live on its website.

The 37-member FIFA council, including Saudi federation president Yasser al Misehal, meets on Tuesday and should advise to approve both bids.

Confirming the 2030 and 2034 hosts should be done in a combined decision by acclamation rather than a registered vote. FIFA published each member's choice in June 2018 in Moscow when the United States, Canada and Mexico won the 2026 World Cup hosting vote 134-65 against Morocco.

The Saudi bid team said in a statement as a nation that loves football it is expected that fans across the entire kingdom will naturally take to the streets and celebrate this historic moment if their country is confirmed as hosts.

WHAT WAS THE FIFA PROCESS TO BID AND WIN?  These World Cup hosting contests happened gradually and then suddenly.

In June 2018, days after losing to the financially strong North American bid, Morocco King Mohammed VI announced his nation would seek the 2030 World Cup. Most expected it would be Europe's turn.

Soon, Spain's government invited Morocco separated by about 14 kilometers (10 miles) of sea into its expected bid with Portugal. The project has survived a brief flirtation in 2022 with war-torn Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia worked in 2022, with what seemed to be Infantino's diplomatic help, on an unlikely 2030 co-hosting bid with Egypt and Greece or Italy that was unacceptable to European soccer body UEFA.

When FIFA's council eventually met to discuss World Cup bidding, the Spain-led bid now had South American partners. The bigger picture deal was letting Infantino open a 2034 contest only Asia and Oceania members could enter within four weeks.

The Asian soccer body quickly backed Saudi Arabia, and Australia's interest was soon quashed.

HOW HAVE THE PROJECTS BEEN EXPLAINED?  Hardly at all, apart from mandatory documents published by FIFA and basic campaignwebsites.

There was no launch event in Zurich. No project exhibitions at the FIFA congress in May in Thailand. Bid plans were handed to FIFA behind closed doors in Paris during the Olympics.

FIFA's Infantino has held no press conference and taken no questions during the 15-month process. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin also has not spoken publicly about the double-award agreement.

An era of blockbuster bid contests, globe-trotting campaigns and dramatic votes to host a World Cup or Olympics has ended.

WHAT DOES THE 2030 BID PROPOSE?  The world's biggest soccer venue the planned 115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca is among 24 stadiums offered including 11 in Spain, three in Portugal and six in Morocco.

Morocco wants to host the July 21 final. Spain offers the home stadiums of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The longest World Cup should start with the three games in South America on June 8-9. The tournament would resume on June 13.

WHAT DOES THE 2034 BID PROPOSE?  Saudi Arabia offers 15 stadiums eight still on paper in five cities: Eight venues in Jeddah, four in Riyadh, plus Abha, Al Khobar and Neom, the planned futuristic mega-project.

The opening game and final are set for a 92,000-seat venue planned in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia aims to host all 104 games, though it could yet become a World Cup for the Middle East region. The diplomatic coup for FIFA and Saudi Arabia would be involving Israel one day.

STANDOUT QUESTIONS  Who will build the Saudi stadiums and World Cup infrastructure of new and upgraded hotels, airports, transport networks and in what conditions? Will legal protections for migrant workers be enacted or enforced?  There is skepticism FIFA and Saudi Arabia will prevent a repeat of labor and human rights issues that dogged Qatar's 2022 World Cup preparations for a decade. Even a FIFA-appointed panel agreed workers in Qatar deserved remedy for the conditions they experienced.

FIFA has claimed a Saudi World Cup can drive change with "significant opportunities for positive human rights impact.

When will the 2034 World Cup be played? Midsummer heat is similar to Qatar which hosted in November-December. However, that period in 2034 includes the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and Riyadh hosting the sprawling Asian Games. January could yet be an option despite the Salt Lake City Olympics in February 2034.

How will Saudi money transform FIFA finances, including payments to member federations?  This year, FIFA already created a new major World Cup sponsor category for Saudi oil firm Aramco in a deal reportedly worth $100 million each year. More Saudi sponsors surely will be announced after Wednesday.

FIFA's 2025 Club World Cup looks likely to be underwritten by Saudi backing and help pay hundreds of millions in prize money expected by European clubs.