Standing on the verge of hosting the World Cup is an undeniable win for oil power Saudi Arabia as it pushes to reshape its economy and shake off its questionable image, analysts say.
It wasn’t long ago that the desert monarchy was shunned by Western leaders after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.
Now, while human rights controversies have not gone away, the kingdom is gaining a reputation for extravagant forays into sport, backed by its seemingly bottomless oil wealth.
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Australia withdraws 2034 World Cup bid | 05:45
Saudi Arabia was named as the lone bidder for the 2034 World Cup on Tuesday, a major success that follows a string of high-profile sports acquisitions
Becoming the lone bidder for the 2034 World Cup, just 27 days after its campaign was announced, caps a stunning year where the unheralded Saudi Pro League has snapped up some of football’s top stars including Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
Saudi Arabia has also, from nowhere, elbowed its way to the top of professional golf after pressuring the venerable US PGA and European tours into a merger with its upstart LIV Golf.
These successes and others are not just vanity projects: they are calculated to bring attention, tourists and investments to a deeply conservative country that only opened to non-Muslim visitors in 2019.
It is nonetheless astonishing that less than a year after Qatar became the first Muslim country to host the World Cup, Gulf neighbour Saudi, under its 38-year-old de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or ‘MBS’, is poised to emulate its sometime rival.
GIGA-PROJECTS
“Hosting the World Cup in 2034 will mark the pinnacle of MBS-era Saudi Arabia’s transformation programme, where the country ascends from international pariah to trusted and legitimate member of the global community,” Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at Paris’s Skema Business School, told AFP.
“There will be image, reputational, soft power, and nation-branding benefits, as well as some of the economic benefits MBS wants his country to derive from sport.”
By the time the World Cup kicks off, several huge infrastructure projects will be well underway, including the $500 billion mega-city of NEOM, intended to feature parallel skyscrapers stretching 170 kilometres across mountain and desert terrain.
NEOM is the flagship of Prince Mohammed’s Vision 2030, an ambitious project to diversify the economy of the world’s biggest oil exporter before other energy sources begin to take over from crude.
Other ventures include The Red Sea, a high-end tourism destination, Qiddiya, an entertainment city of theme parks, sports and other attractions, and Diriyah, a cultural tourist draw that includes a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Meanwhile the capital Riyadh is building a major new international airport, intended to rival Dubai as a regional aviation hub, and has unveiled a deep-pocketed new airline, Riyadh Air.
The World Cup is “an opportunity to showcase the array of ‘giga-projects’ associated with Vision 2030 that should by then be operational, and which are designed to position Saudi Arabia as a destination, for businesses, investors, and tourists”, said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute think-tank.
‘INTENSE SCRUTINY’
With expectations of a 50 percent population rise to 50 million by 2030, and 150 million tourists a year, “the ambitions are significant, and a steady stream of mega-events are going to be required to meet them”, Ulrichsen added.
“Engaging in sport so heavily, as the Saudis have done with football and golf recently but also in eSports and gaming as well, is a way to reach a mass audience worldwide to tell the story of a changing Saudi Arabia.”
However, Saudi Arabia, with few world-class venues and patchy transport infrastructure, now faces a challenge to be ready in time to become the first sole host for a 48-team World Cup.
It will also undoubtedly face accusations of “sportswashing” and greater attention on its human rights record, including laws against homosexuality, gender inequality and one of the highest numbers of executions worldwide.
“With mega-event hosting comes intense scrutiny, Saudi Arabia will be no different,” Chadwick said.
“Right now, the country is not capable of hosting the tournament; for instance, its transport links are not good enough and its venues are largely inadequate,” he added.
“Hosting the World Cup starts the clock ticking — Saudi Arabia must be ready by the end of 2033.”
Football Aus rules out World Cup bid | 01:03
FROM F1 TO CR7
The conservative Gulf monarchy, often criticised over its human rights record, is attempting to burnish its image and attract tourists and investment as it tries to diversify its economy away from oil.
Here are some of the moves that have turned Saudi Arabia into a major player in sports:
WINTER SPORTS
Saudi Arabia, a mostly desert country where summer temperatures touch 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), raised eyebrows last October when it was chosen to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
The event, which has already earned the wrath of environmental campaigners, will be held at NEOM, an under-construction $500 billion megacity that is planning a year-round winter sports complex.
Five years later, the same year as the World Cup, the capital Riyadh will put on the 2034 Asian Games, an Olympic-sized multi-sports event. Hosting an Olympics is the kingdom’s “ultimate goal”, Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal told AFP last August.
– Formula One – The glitzy world of F1 zoomed in to Jeddah, the Red Sea city that is a gateway for pilgrims to Mecca, in 2021 with a night race flanking the coastline. It is one of four grands prix to be held in the wealthy Gulf this year.
The 2022 edition was overshadowed by an attack by Huthi rebels from Yemen, Saudi’s war-torn neighbour, that left oil facilities belching black smoke within sight of the circuit during practice sessions.
FOOTBALL
Saudi Arabian clubs — backed by the Public Investment Fund sovereign wealth vehicle — have been on an extraordinary buying spree this year, starting with Al-Nassr’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in January on a two-and-a-half-year deal said to total 400 million euros.
It opened the floodgates, with Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema joining Al-Ittihad, Neymar leaving Qatar-owned Paris Saint-German for Al-Hilal and a stream of other late-career stars making their way to the Saudi Pro League.
In October 2021, well before the Pro League’s acquisitions, a Saudi-funded consortium completed its takeover of English Premier League club Newcastle United following a protracted wrangle with regulators.
Fans of the long-time “sleeping giant”, who had been at odds with the previous owner for years, celebrated by donning Arab headdresses at St. James’s Park stadium. Newcastle have since enjoyed a lift in fortunes, qualifying for this season’s Champions League.
Meanwhile Saudi Arabia will host the Club World Cup at the end of December as well as the 2027 Asian Cup, now a dress rehearsal for the World Cup. It is also bidding to hold the women’s Asian Cup in 2026.
GOLF
Saudi money has changed the face of professional golf after the upstart LIV Golf, following a legal battle with the established US PGA and European tours, announced a shock merger with its rivals in June.
The deal, which is due to be finalised at the end of December, follows a two-year civil war after LIV poached players for huge sums, prompting the US and European circuits to rule them ineligible for certain tournaments including, in the case of Europe, the Ryder Cup.
Former world number one Dustin Johnson has been one of the prime beneficiaries, scooping $35 million in prize money in the inaugural season — on top of a reported $150 million just for agreeing to play.
BOXING
When world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury won a split-decision in a non-title bout with MMA star Francis Ngannou on Saturday, it was just the latest high-profile fight in Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua, another British heavyweight, has fought twice in Saudi, earning a big payday each time while swatting off criticism over alleged sportswashing.
Joshua won his revenge match against America’s Andy Ruiz in King Abdullah Sports City in December 2019, before returning in August last year when he was outclassed by Ukrainian maestro Oleksandr Usyk.
TENNIS
This year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, featuring the hottest young men’s players, will be played in Jeddah in December. Saudi Arabia was also reported to be the front-runner to host this year’s WTA Finals before Cancun in Mexico was named as the organiser.
CRICKET
Last year Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil exporter and one of its richest companies, embarked on a sponsorship of major events organised by the International Cricket Council, including the men’s and women’s one-day and T20 World Cups.
RALLYING
The Dakar Rally, initially raced between Paris and the Senegalese capital, has been held on Saudi Arabia’s unforgiving terrain since 2020.
Last year’s edition was plunged into controversy when French driver Philippe Boutron was seriously wounded in an explosion that French investigators said was caused by an improvised explosive device stowed on his car.
RACING
Saudi Arabia has galloped to the fore in horse racing with the $20 million Saudi Cup, the world’s richest race. The 2021 and 2022 editions were won by Saudi-owned horses, including 66-1 Emblem Road’s victory last year. Japanese longshot Panthalassa won this year’s race in February.
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