Club World Cup: Saudi Arabia’s World Cup dress rehearsal

Saudi Arabia's sports minister can no longer hear the accusations that his government is guilty of sportswashing.

"A lot of the people that accuse us of that haven't been to Saudi, or seen what we are doing," Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Saud recently told the BBC. Depending on how you interpret the government's decisions, the immense amount of financial investment in sport is just part of the country's "Vision 2030" plan created by the crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman to modernise the country and make it less dependent on oil income. 

Billions invested in sport

Bin Salman is the chairman of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund), that according to reports has made as much as $778 billion (€710 billion) available for investment. Some of its highest-profile acquisitions to date have been in sport. For years, the PIF has been pumping money into sport, such as in LIV golf, Formula One and also football. 

In 2021, PIF purchased an 80% stake in Premier League club Newcastle United. Since last June, the sovereign wealth fund also controls 75% of the shares of top domestic clubs Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, which made the spectacular arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema possible.

With his team Al-Ittihad, Frenchman Benzema is at the Club World Cup, the tournament in which all continental champions play against one another. This year is the final time the competition will be played in its current format, with the 2025 edition in the USA set to be played with 32 teams.

Favorites to win the final on December 22 are Champions League winners Manchester City, who are hoping Erling Haaland returns from injury. 

Amnesty: Repression on the rise

Human Rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have for years accused those in power in Riyadh of attempting to distract from blatant human rights abuses by hosting prestigious sporting events such as the Club World Cup.

"The human rights situation in Saudi Arabia is worsening in many different ways," said the interim Amnesty Director Stephen Cockburn. "Repression is on the rise, especially against those who dare to criticise the authorities."

FIFA lay down the red carpet

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has no problem with Saudi Arabia hosting the tournament.

"This tournament in Saudi Arabia will be the best FIFA Club World Cup ever and will inspire boys and girls, men and women all over the world," said Infantino back in September when the draw for the competition was made. But Saudi Arabia's biggest coup is yet to come. The Gulf State is also set to host the 2034 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia is now the only country applying to host the competition, something made possible after the 2030 tournament was awarded to three continents at once and following the withdrawal of the Asian association's application for the 2034 tournament.

The approval of the FIFA Congress in the final quarter of 2024 appears a mere formality after Infantino announced Saudi Arabia as hosts on social media.

"The next tournaments will be as follows —  2030 in Africa (Morocco), Europe (Portugal, Spain) and three anniversary games in South America (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay) and in 2034 in Asia (Saudi Arabia)," he wrote on Instagram.

This article was orginally written in German.