Saudi Arabia confirmed as host of 2034 World Cup. The next question: winter, summer or neither?

FIFA members confirmed on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 men’s World Cup, but in making the choice official they left several key questions about the controversial tournament unanswered.

In a video conference dubbed an “extraordinary congress”, representatives of some 200 national football federations applauded to endorse the Saudi bid and, simultaneously, a bid from six nations and three continents for the 2030 men’s World Cup, with headlining Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

These were the only two bids for the two flagship events after FIFA officials, led by President Gianni Infantino, negotiated a compromise between the rivals for the 2030 edition and then accelerated the bidding process for 2034 – for which Saudi Arabia was, on the basis of the “principle” of continental rotation and tight deadlines, the only eligible and realistic bidder.

More than a year after those secret discussions revealed only one bidder, neither Infantino nor other top officials have substantively explained how the decisions were made. They did not hold a single press conference or answer journalists’ questions.

They also did not say how Saudi World Cup organizers plan to respond to the deluge of human rights concerns; nor when, exactly, the 2034 tournament will be played.

Will the 2034 World Cup be played in winter?

World Cups traditionally take place during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, even when they take place below the equator in South America or South Africa. The entire rhythm of world football is based around this tradition. Most top-level leagues start their season in August, finish around May, and then break for high-level international tournaments.

But the climate of Saudi Arabia, like that of Qatar, complicates things. In the Gulf, summer temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees. Such heat is often seen as dangerous for football – and undesirable for the millions of fans drawn to World Cups.

FIFA, citing these dangers, moved the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from its typical summer window to November and December. Many believe Infantino and the current FIFA administration will push for a similar move in 2034.

But there are other complications. In 2034, Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia and home to the eight proposed World Cup stadiums, is scheduled to host the Asian Games from November 29 to December 14. Furthermore, Ramadan will begin on or around November 12 and will be observed by a majority of the population in Saudi Arabia, the homeland of Islam, until early December.

So, could the World Cup start in late December – perhaps when some European leagues begin their winter break – and extend into 2035? Or earlier in 2034?

As a 48-team tournament likely to feature 104 matches, it will be heavier than Qatar 2022, which FIFA compressed into 29 days, with just a week of advance preparation for participating teams. The first 48-team World Cup, scheduled for North America in 2026, is expected to last 39 days.

And then there is the resistance that FIFA could face from European leagues whose seasons would be interrupted.

European football could resist 2034 World Cup dates

The European football establishment has complained about Qatar 2022. The leagues have all been forced to take a break for over a month, start earlier in August, schedule more matches on weeknights and/or to extend their seasons until June 2023.

Players’ unions also complained that workload – a long-standing and growing concern even in non-World Cup years – was exacerbated by a winter World Cup. “Among the players’ comments,” reported FIFPRO in March 2023, “was that they had not had enough time to prepare tactics with their national team before the World Cup and had to return too quickly to club football afterwards; one said the abrupt return was “practically suicide”.

Since then, unions and leagues have fought with FIFA over the “international match calendar”, a document that governs when professional clubs must release their players to national teams. FIFA controls it, has “failed to meaningfully engage or negotiate and [has] “unilaterally pursued a program of expansion of the competition despite opposition from players’ unions,” FIFPRO Europe, an umbrella group representing national players’ associations, said in a statement last June.

The statement accompanied a complaint filed by the English and French players’ unions against FIFA. A few months later, a coalition of unions and major leagues, including the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, filed another complaint with the European Commission challenging FIFA’s imposition of the international match calendar. The case, which relies on conflict of interest principles similar to those at the center of last year’s Super League decision, is potentially explosive and could weaken FIFA’s authority as a global governing body football.

It could also weaken FIFA’s influence in negotiations over the future of the calendar, which is currently set until 2030. European leagues and unions could have more of a say in the next round of discussions and the next iteration of the calendar, which would likely encompass 2034.

They might therefore have the power to resist another winter World Cup and/or determine when Saudi Arabia 2034 will be played. (The players would likely also resist a mid-summer World Cup in the Kingdom in due to the heat.)

‘Timing’ of 2034 World Cup events poses ‘medium risk’

Saudi officials hinted at the complexity of the situation in their bidding documents. “It is essential that the dates chosen for the [World Cup] are planned and coordinated with FIFA and its stakeholders”, they wrote, but it is also “paramount to take into account (…) a wide range of other factors”, including “climatic conditions; the schedule of other sporting events in Saudi Arabia and around the world; [and] important religious events in Saudi Arabia and around the world.

“In terms of religious events in 2034,” they later wrote, “Ramadan, the annual Muslim month of fasting and prayer, and the annual Hajj pilgrimage.” [which will occur in mid-late February in 2034 and 2035] must be taken into account. It is also important to take into account the period from Christmas to New Year, the last week of December. »

FIFA, in its evaluation report of the applications, agreed. “It would be important to consider religious events in determining the timing of the competition,” the reviewers wrote. Given the “complexities,” they classified “timing of events” as a “medium risk” area.

So, even if Saudi 2034 is officially confirmed, the dates and months of the tournament remain unknown.