Football fans tuned in this summer to watch two of the sport’s major tournaments, the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup and the biennial Concacaf Gold Cup, yet few noted the powerful force operating behind the scenes: Saudi Arabia and its Public Investment Fund (PIF). As the Kingdom pours substantial financial resources into these events, accusations of sportswashing have intensified. Through strategic investments and high-profile partnerships across various sports, Saudi Arabia aims to divert attention away from its ongoing, severe human rights violations. Even Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has openly admitted that, while these sports investments are underscored by political objectives to enhance Saudi Arabia’s global image of progress and modernity, and strengthen its soft power.
FIFA World Cup
Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing efforts are enabled by the complicity of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). In December 2024, the Kingdom was awarded the honour of hosting the 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cup. This decision followed a fast-tracked and opaque bidding process where Saudi Arabia was the sole, unopposed candidate. FIFA praised the Kingdom’s bid, assigning it the highest evaluation score in the organization’s history and designating it only a “medium risk” in terms of human rights concerns. This nomination flagrantly overlooks Saudi Arabia’s extensive record of human rights abuses, which include widespread repression, arbitrary detentions and executions, mass killings of migrants at the border with Yemen, and the persistent violation of women’s and migrants’ rights.
Saudi Arabia’s path follows that of Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host, which faced similar scrutiny for its human rights record. This emerging pattern raises questions about the credibility of FIFA’s human rights commitments, especially those enshrined in its 2016 adoption of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. FIFA continues to demonstrate a disregard for such principles, as cases of migrant worker exploitation in preparation for the 2034 Saudi World Cup have been dismissed.
FIFA Club World Cup
Saudi Arabia’s relationship with FIFA has continued to deepen, especially following the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup held this summer. Among the 32 participating teams was Al-Hilal, a Riyadh-based club owned by PIF. However, Saudi involvement extended well beyond the pitch. PIF also served as an official partner of the tournament. This move was scrutinized as a strategic effort to bolster the event amid FIFA’s challenges in securing sponsorships and addressing lackluster ticket sales.
Further underscoring this financial entanglement, sports streaming service DAZN purchased the Club World Cup broadcasting rights for $1 billion, shortly before PIF publicly acquired a minority stake in the company for the same amount. FIFA then announced a tournament prize fund also totalling $1 billion. The repeated appearance of this figure across distinct but interconnected transactions has prompted concerns regarding the scale of Saudi financial influence over the tournament due to FIFA’s dependency on the country’s capital.
The Concacaf Gold Cup
The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup marked another example of Saudi Arabia’s growing involvement in international football, both on and off the field. Traditionally reserved for national teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean, the tournament saw Saudi Arabia participate following a special invitation issued in December 2024, which also confirmed their inclusion in the 2027 edition. A similar invitation was previously extended to Qatar in 2021 and 2023, ahead of its hosting of the World Cup. This was widely interpreted as sportswashing. Saudi Arabia’s participation is now viewed similarly, as part of broader efforts to favourably shape international perceptions ahead of the 2034 World Cup. Notably, the invitation coincided with the expansion of PIF’s investment partnership with Concacaf, established earlier in 2024. This included collaborations with PIF-owned companies like Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, and Air Riyadh. Prominently displayed throughout the tournament, these brands served as a constant reminder of Saudi Arabia’s expanding influence in football, even after the national team’s elimination. This visibility risks extending into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by Concacaf nations: USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Conclusion
The deepening relationship between Saudi Arabia and FIFA has elevated sportswashing to unprecedented levels, allowing the Kingdom to expand its influence across global football while positioning itself as an indispensable stakeholder through its substantial financial investments. However, this growing presence risks overshadowing the country’s grave human rights violations. FIFA and other international sports bodies must confront these realities, rather than prioritizing financial gain.
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This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.