A Kingdom's football ambition: The road to 2034 

From billion-dollar investments to strategic partnerships, Saudi Arabia’s influence in global football has expanded significantly in 2024. Play the Game outlines the Kingdom's deepening engagement and power plays in the world of football.

On October 4, 2023, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation put an end to speculations about a joint bid by declaring its intent to bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. In July 2024, the Kingdom officially submitted its bid in Paris, emerging as the sole candidate for the tournament.

While the race for the 2034 FIFA World Cup might seem settled, the journey to this pivotal moment in global football tells a much larger story.

Saudi Arabia has invested massively in world sport and meticulously positioned itself within the ‘football family’. Over the past few years, the Kingdom has woven an extensive web of influence across football’s global landscape with sponsorships, partnerships, and investments connecting them with the sport’s most powerful and decision-makers figures.

The awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia is merely the culmination of years of strategic investments and behind-the-scenes manoeuvring.

Building influence in Asia

The ink had barely dried on Saudi Arabia’s declaration of interest to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup when the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa issued a swift, enthusiastic endorsement. Within hours, more backing came in from across the footballing world.

This synchronised show of support underscores the deep ties Saudi Arabia has built with the AFC over the years. In February 2023, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation president Yasser Al-Misehal was elected as one out seven AFC representatives to the powerful FIFA Council. The election happened on the very same day Saudi Arabia was granted the rights to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The groundwork had been laid years earlier, when Neom, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious megacity project, became the AFC's Global Partner from 2021 to 2024 – a partnership that was renewed in July 2024 for another five years. Between these deals, the Kingdom further solidified its foothold when Visit Saudi, a tourism bureau powered by the Kingdom’s Saudi Tourism Authority, in 2023 became the official Global Partner of the AFC until December 2024.

Ambitions played out on Saudi stadiums

Saudi Arabia’s influence in world football has reached unprecedented heights in the year the country is set to secure hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup.

Domestically, the Kingdom has poured immense resources into its own league, providing both entertainment for Saudi citizens and a showcase for its football ambitions.

These investments serve as a diversion in a country lacking political rights and civil liberties, while signalling to FIFA and the global sports community that Saudi Arabia is committed to advancing football in the Middle East

In 2024 alone, Saudi Arabia hosted a series of high-profile foreign cup finals: the Spanish Super Cup, Italian Super Cup, CAF Super Cup, and Egypt Cup Final – all played out in Saudi stadiums.

Saudi investments in international football

The Kingdom’s sponsorship reach in European leagues has also expanded, with Visit Saudi and the General Entertainment Authority's (GEA) Riyadh Season as prominent sponsors of Spain’s La Liga.

Riyadh Air, the new flag carrier, sponsors Spanish club Atlético Madrid, and Riyadh Season sponsors AS Roma in Serie A. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns Premier League club Newcastle United, and GEA Chairman and Royal Court advisor Turki Al-Sheikh bought the Spanish club Almería in 2020.

Abdullah bin Musaid Al Saud, a royal family member and former general president of the General Sports Authority (now known as the Saudi Ministry of Sport), has also invested in the football industry. He is the owner of multiple football clubs including Beerschot VA (Belgium), Al-Hilal United (United Arab Emirates), LB Châteauroux (France), Kerala United FC (India), and Sheffield United (England).

The Kingdom’s ambitions and influence extend even further, where three key players entered sponsorship deals with the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) in 2024: Aramco in February, followed by the PIF and Riyadh Air in August.

Another tool in Saudi Arabia’s strategic arsenal is the use of memorandums of understanding (MOU). As of 2024, Play the Game has identified 48 MOUs between the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and various football federations.

While these agreements may appear symbolic at first glance, they highlight the Kingdom’s extensive network of partnerships and diplomatic ties in global football and can be powerful strategic instruments.

Beyond fostering goodwill, MOUs pave the way for increased collaboration, development initiatives, and direct access to key decision-makers within federations. Ultimately, these decision-makers play a critical role in voting on significant agendas within FIFA, including host selection and governance issues.

The FIFA deal

A pivotal milestone in Saudi Arabia’s journey in world football was the 2024 landmark partnership between FIFA and Aramco, the Saudi state-owned oil and gas giant.

FIFA’s President, Gianni Infantino, spoke highly of the partnership and highlighted Aramco's track record of supporting global sports events and developing grassroots sports initiatives. The agreement came just one month after Saudi Arabia was announced as host for the FIFA Series 2024, featuring eight teams from four confederations.

However, the Aramco deal has not been without controversy. In October 2024, more than 100 female footballers signed an open letter urging FIFA to end the partnership with Aramco, criticising Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights violations, systemic restrictions on women’s rights, and Aramco’s contribution to the climate crisis. The letter stated that such a corporation “has no place sponsoring our beautiful game.”

As the Kingdom’s ambitions rise with the 2034 World Cup in sight, so does its indelible mark on world football – a development that raises critical questions about the intersection of sport, governance, and human rights.