Prepare for another Winter World Cup! The Premier League is expected to be forced into another winter break when Saudi Arabia hosts in 2034 to avoid summer temperatures of 43C
Australia’s decision not to bid for the 2034 World Cup, leaving Saudi Arabia the only other bidder, means Premier League clubs face the prospect of another winter tournament to work around.
While the 2026 World Cup returns to its more traditional summer slot in the United States, Mexico and Canada, fast forward to 2034 and a second winter World Cup is on the horizon.
The Premier League had to suspend its season due to the last World Cup, which took place in Qatar in November.
Since temperatures in Saudi Arabia regularly reach up to 43 degrees Celsius in summer, a winter slot is the only humane option for a World Cup.
Should Saudi Arabia be accepted as host – and that appears to be a foregone conclusion at this stage as there is no competing bid – it would undoubtedly cause controversy, although Saudi Arabia has expanded its sporting portfolio in recent years to include Formula 1, has expanded boxing and the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and others to the Saudi Pro League.
The last World Cup, which Argentina won, was moved to a winter venue by hosts Qatar
Saudi Arabia is now expected to host in 2034. FIFA President Gianni Infantino (center) was seen in Riyadh last week for the start of the eSports World Cup in Saudi Arabia (seated next to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman).
Amnesty International, a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia’s foray into elite sport, said on Tuesday that the kingdom needed to give FIFA “clear and binding commitments” in areas such as human rights to maintain the prestige of hosting a World Cup tournament.
“Human rights obligations must be agreed with potential hosts before final decisions are made on the staging of the tournaments,” they said.
“FIFA’s best chance of obtaining binding guarantees to protect workers’ rights, ensure freedom of expression and prevent discrimination in connection with the World Cup is during the host selection process – and not after the hosts have been confirmed and with tournament preparation has begun.”
Last week, Human Rights Watch said: “The possibility that FIFA could award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia despite its appalling human rights record and the closure of all monitoring exposes FIFA’s commitment to human rights as a fraud.”
Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp was frustrated with the scheduling of the World Cup in Qatar and made his feelings clear.
“It’s like the climate.” We all know we need to change, but no one really asks what we need to do. And I’m there too, there’s no doubt about it,” he said.
Should Saudi Arabia be confirmed as hosts, Infantino and FIFA are likely to be heavily criticized
Jürgen Klopp was among many Premier League bosses who were unimpressed by the winter break
‘[But I don’t know] Why wouldn’t we talk about it and just do it right and say, “Ladies and gentlemen, FIFA, UEFA, Premier League, FA, please start talking to each other.”
“There has to be a meeting where everyone sits together and the only topic – the most important part of this game – has to be the players.” That hasn’t happened yet because the managers are pretty safe. We’re in-out, in-out, in-out, why should we worry about long-term effects and things like that?
“I’ve been here for a while and so have a few others, so we talk about it from time to time, but everyone else has their own interests and that doesn’t make it any easier.”
“So this World Cup is happening at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.”
The big problem for Premier League managers and owners is that their seasons will have to be paused again before their domestic seasons drag on into the summer.
Added to this is the 2035 FIFA Club World Cup, where top players are expected, which increases their workload even further.
By handing the tournament over to Saudi Arabia and expediting the selection of the host, FIFA faces severe scrutiny.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a key figure in the kingdom’s bid
Because Saudi Arabia is effectively chosen to host the tournament eleven years before the tournament, Human Rights Watch has argued that the process used to select future World Cup competitions violated the 2017 FIFA Human Rights Policy.
The organization cited Article 7, which states: “If the national context threatens to undermine FIFA’s ability to ensure respect for internationally recognized human rights, FIFA will cooperate constructively with relevant authorities and other stakeholders and make every effort.” to fulfill their international human rights responsibilities.”
Human Rights Watch also cited the organization’s “Fundamental Principles of the Reformed Bid Process,” which came into effect following the confirmation of North America as the 2026 host.
The introduction states that hosts must “formally commit to conducting their activities based on sustainable event management principles and respecting international human rights and labor standards in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles.”
The non-governmental organization stressed that FIFA had “not applied these principles” and that the “unreasonably short deadline” for submitting bids for the 2034 World Cup was a further concern.
Saudi Arabia would likely be considered a controversial host.
It has been criticized for its human rights abuses – 81 men were executed in one day last year – women’s rights violations, the criminalization of homosexuality, restrictions on freedom of expression and the war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s international reputation was severely damaged by the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S.-based Saudi journalist and prominent critic of the government.
Human rights activists say sports are being used by the Saudi government to address long-standing reputational problems, a process known as “sportswashing.”
Last week, Human Rights Watch said: “The possibility that FIFA could award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia despite its appalling human rights record and the closure of all monitoring exposes FIFA’s commitment to human rights as a fraud.”
On Tuesday, Amnesty International called on FIFA to seek “clear and binding commitments” from Saudi Arabia.
It said: “Human rights obligations must be agreed with potential hosts before final decisions are made on the staging of the tournaments.”
“FIFA’s best chance of obtaining binding guarantees to protect workers’ rights, ensure freedom of expression and prevent discrimination in connection with the World Cup is during the host selection process – and not after the hosts have been confirmed and with tournament preparation has begun.”
Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup has been criticized for its stance on same-sex relationships, its human rights record and its treatment of migrant workers.
Fifa has scrapped plans for Saudi Arabia to sponsor the 2023 Women’s World Cup following backlash from co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, players and sponsors. However, Saudi Arabia is interested in hosting the tournament in 2035 after fielding a women’s team last year.
Like the 2022 men’s tournament, the 2034 edition would almost certainly take place in the winter due to the extreme heat in the summer, although upgrading existing infrastructure rather than building new stadiums would likely make the tournament more environmentally friendly than Qatar.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) completed its takeover of Newcastle United in 2021 and manager Eddie Howe said: “Our trips there to Riyadh and Jeddah were two very different experiences.”
“Everywhere we went was well organized; We were well looked after. If this is a sign of what a World Cup could look like, then structurally it will be really good.”
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said the World Cup bid was “not beneficial to Australia”.
He said: “Saudi is a strong offer.” They have a lot of resources, and not only [for] the 2034 World Cup.
“They are disrupting European football by paying higher dollars.” This is disrupting the market and that is what puts Saudi Arabia in a strong position. From top to bottom, the government is prioritizing investment in football. It’s hard to compete.”
A second winter World Cup is on the horizon after the final obstacle to hosting the 2034 tournament in Saudi Arabia was removed – putting FIFA once again at odds with European football’s most powerful national associations.
A winter World Cup will, in turn, require suspending domestic league seasons before Christmas and extending those seasons into the summer. According to the current FIFA schedule, the best players in the world will then take part in the 2035 FIFA Club World Cup in the summer.
Qatar 2022 switched to a Winter World Cup finals in 2014, almost four years after the country was tasked with hosting the tournament.
Saudi Arabia has a much richer football tradition – the Saudi team beat eventual winners Argentina in the first game of the 2022 tournament – although what seems most critical is that it is now a key ally of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.