Uncovering the Impact: Why Human Rights Should Dominate the World Cup 2030 Selection Process

According to a recent survey conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Amnesty International, it has been found that human rights should be given significant importance when selecting the hosts for the 2030 World Cup. Out of the 17,477 participants from 15 different countries, 53% stated that considering human rights is crucial in choosing the host for the World Cup and other major sporting events. This percentage increased to 60% among respondents from the United Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is being considered as a potential host for the 2030 or 2034 World Cup, in collaboration with Greece and Egypt. In addition, Saudi Arabia has already been chosen to host the Club World Cup in December. The decision on the host for the 2030 finals will be made by representatives from over 200 national associations during a FIFA Congress in the upcoming year.

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FIFA incorporated human rights standards into the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup, which was granted to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This decision came after the governing body's former executive committee awarded the hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar respectively in 2010.

Organizations like Amnesty and Kick It Out express ongoing concerns regarding the insufficient emphasis being placed on human rights in forthcoming decision-making processes.

According to the poll, human rights ranked as the second most frequently selected factor for determining tournament hosts, following safety and security which garnered 57 percent of the votes.

Human rights was the primary concern in seven of the countries examined, with the highest percentage recorded in Switzerland (68%), the home of FIFA. A significantly larger number of individuals, more than four times the amount, prioritized human rights as a crucial factor compared to "commercial revenues for sports bodies," which only garnered 13% of the votes.

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Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Egypt have been connected in a potential joint bid to host either the 2030 or 2034 World Cup. Steve Cockburn, Amnesty's head of economic and social justice, emphasized the importance of prioritizing human rights to ensure that the World Cup remains a celebration of the beloved game and never becomes a platform for exploitation, repression, or discrimination.

FIFA should apply strict adherence to the most rigorous human rights standards when assessing bids to host its premier tournament. It is imperative that clear action plans for human rights are demanded and any bid failing to convincingly demonstrate the prevention, independent monitoring, and remediation of serious human rights risks should be rejected.

Andrea Florence, the director of the Sports and Rights Alliance, emphasized that while FIFA has shown progress in acknowledging its human rights responsibilities since 2017, there has been a lack of systematic application of human rights assessments and considerations in the awarding of FIFA tournaments.

FIFA has been contacted for a response.