South America’s Conmebol formally proposed a Centennial World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with 64 teams, but the idea was opposed to some other mainland leagues.
The competitions held by the United States, Canada and Mexico next year will have 48 countries participating, up from 32 countries in 2022.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal told a group of journalists at the Saudi Arabia Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah that his country has no objection to the increase in 2034.
He said: “We are ready, otherwise we will be ready, Ndara (God will). If this is a decision made by FIFA and think it is a good decision for everyone, then we’re happy to deliver on it.”
He noted that Islamic pilgrims have built infrastructure, with 4 million people participating in Mecca during Ramadan this year, while 5 million people participating in the Kyushu. The global football ruling agency formally declared Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 men’s World Cup in December, a bid that was undisputed but was strongly criticized by rights groups. The Kingdom has invested heavily in sports over the past few years, but critics accused it of “sports shaping” its human rights record. The country denied allegations of human rights violations and said it would protect its national security through its laws.
The bid promises 15 new or renovated stadiums by 2032 and is expected to be completed with the help of immigration labor.
Al-Faisal said workers’ safety is the highest priority, and Saudi organizers regularly talk to FIFA and 2022 host and neighbor Katar, the region is the region’s first World Cup to learn from their experience.
He said there was no doubt about a worker reported last month at the construction site of the Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar.
“We take every incident seriously, we investigate and see what went wrong,” the minister said. “Unfortunately, in construction, these things happened.”
He said Saudi Arabia is part of the ILO, a 2021 labor reform bill repeals the Kafara system that connects migrant workers to an employer and prevents them from leaving without their employer’s approval.
In Saudi Arabia, banning the use of Muslims’ alcohol was banned, and Al-Fisar confirmed the World Cup would be dry.
“The law in Saudi Arabia is now without alcohol. Will it change in the future? We don’t know. But I can’t see it really affecting our sporting events.”
“We have held more than 100 international events so far. We have people from all over the world attending these sporting events. Everyone is happy with the hospitality, setup and experience they receive.
“I honestly don’t think it’s a problem. So I hope it won’t be a problem.”
Alcohol is not for sale in Qatar’s stadiums, and drinking in public places is illegal in 2022, but beer is available in designated fan districts and in some hotels.
