Saudi Arabia was called to the rescue by FIFA!

A rain of billions… for a tournament in search of legitimacy. This week, while the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup are starting in the United States, the spotlights on a competition in altered format which arouses as many criticisms as ambitions. Eat from seven to 32 teams, this unprecedented version of the Club World Cup – wanted by FIFA to “make football truly global” – is struggling to convince, both by its complexity and by its implications. Already pointed out for its consequences on the workload of players, its massive environmental impact (63 games in 11 cities), and its potential for imbalance in national competitions, it seemed to be doomed to failure for lack of a strong diffuser and sponsors … Until the surprise intervention of a actor who has become essential to world sport: Saudi Arabia. While the sporting issues intensify on the ground, the geopolitical and financial issues behind the scenes reveal a much more disturbing reality: this tournament has, in large part, been saved by Saudi oil money – via its powerful public investment fund (PIF) – raising strong interrogations on the independence of FIFA, the future of interclub football and the influence strategy of the Kingdom Wahhabite. There BBC has also devoted a large file on these troubled links and these dangerous links.

Pif saved the skin from Fifa

The overhaul of the Club World Cup, now endowed with an extended format and a colossal Money Prize, initially seemed to be failure due to a lack of interest in broadcasters and sponsors. The intervention of the Saudi public investment fund (PIF), via an investment in the platform DAZNchanged the situation. Indeed, DAZN has acquired the world's broadcasting dollar rights for $ 1 billion, an unexpected agreement given the chain's financial losses. Shortly after, a subsidiary of the PIF entered the capital of DAZN up to the same amount. Although DAZN Insists on the independence of its decision, the coincidence between these successive investments and the urgency for FIFA to find a credible financial partner fuels the suspicions of a Saudi rescue strategy disguised, thus ensuring the viability of the competition. Officially, Saudi investment is presented as a “growth opportunity” for football in the Middle East region and North Africa. According to sources close to the Saudi government, it is a question of stimulating tourism, diversifying the country's economy and promoting modernization. However, for several observers and experts, this financial contribution is more like a political maneuver, aimed at consolidating links with FIFA and locking the organization of the 2034 World Cup. Critical voices, such as those of NGOs or former football officials, denounce an opaque process and a mutually advantageous deal between FIFA and the Saudi kingdom, where one brings money and the other.

The intervention of the PIF in the Club World Cup is part of a broader strategy of Saudi Arabia aimed at strengthening its geopolitical and cultural influence via sport. After boxing, Formula 1 or golf, football becomes the main instrument of this sports diplomacy. By joining an event supported by FIFA and involving clubs like Al-Hilal, the country seeks to legitimize its candidacy for world events such as the 2034 World Cup, which it will welcome. The club tournament thus becomes a showcase to position Saudi Arabia as a central player in world football, while promoting its international image as part of its “Vision 2030” transformation program. The widening of the 32 team World Cup and its trip to 11 American cities have aroused increasing criticism, including unions of players and environmental organizations. They denounce an unbearable increase in the workload of players, already physically end, and a harmful ecological impact due to massive trips. This project, supported by Saudi funds, is seen by its detractors as a deeply imperfect model, more motivated by financial interests than by a concern for the development of sport. The objective displayed by FIFA to create “a global event” is thus perceived as a masking commercial justification of considerable geopolitical and economic issues.

The appointment of Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup, which occurred shortly after the agreement with DAZNis perceived by some as a direct consequence of Saudi investments. The allocation process has been strongly criticized for its lack of transparency: only one month was left to the candidates to manifest themselves, discouraging Australia, which withdrew. According to NGOs like Fair Squareit would be a “deeply vitiated tender process”, orchestrated to promote the Saudi candidacy. This “marriage of convenience” between FIFA and Saudi Arabia questions the neutrality of global sports bodies and fuels suspicion of sportswashing, a strategy to restore the international image of the kingdom. Despite criticism, FIFA defends its project as being in “the interest of world football”. She claims that the profits will be redistributed to clubs and justify the event as necessary to make football truly global. However, observers remain shared: some, such as Sepp Blatter or environmental groups, denounce a dangerous drift of modern football, too influenced by economic powers. The massive support of Saudi Arabia to this club World Cup, described as “turning” by FIFA, could well redefine the balances of world football, but at the cost of ethical, climatic and democratic compromises increasingly difficult to justify.

The organization of the 2029 edition ensured?

The 2029 edition of the Club World Cup already seems to be promised in Saudi Arabia, with the confirmation of the participation of Saudi clubs like Al-Ahli, which has already reserved its place for the tournament by winning the Elite Champions League of the AFC 2025. This early commitment testifies not only to the ambition of the kingdom to impose itself on the international football scene, but also its will Strategic to use this event as a lever to develop its pro League and strengthen the attraction of football in a country where this sport is still growing. The organization of the tournament is a logical continuity of the massive support provided by the Saudi public investment fund (PIF) to FIFA and the worldwide dissemination of this competition, thus consolidating the position of the kingdom as a key director of world football. In addition, this prospect of a World Cup of clubs at 48 teams in 2029, aligned with the enlargement of male and female world cuts, already raises many questions about the balance between economic ambitions and sports constraints. While some officials like Pete Oliver DAZN See in this expansion an exciting opportunity and a chance to energize world football, the unions of players remain very cautious, evoking an already overloaded calendar and increased risks for the health of athletes. This debate illustrates the growing tensions between the growing financial interests around football and the need to preserve the quality of the game as well as the well-being of the players, a fragile balance which could be played from the 2029 edition. Finally, the confirmed organization of this tournament in the Saudi kingdom would also mark a major symbolic turning point for FIFA, which continues to affirm that this is a transparent and beneficial process for world football.

However, this decision is still the subject of severe criticism on the part of many NGOs, human rights groups, and football players, which denounce the lack of transparency, the dominant role of PIF and the ethical concerns linked to governance and the environmental impact of such competitions. The holding of the 2029 edition in this context will inevitably raise the question of the legitimacy of international football to associate with states with controversial practices, while testing the capacity of the king to reconcile commercial expansion and social responsibility. Several countries nevertheless intend to try to compete with Saudi Arabia on the file. The 2029 Club World Cup is already promised as a geopolitical and diplomatic battlefield. The Spain-Portugal duo, already co-organizers of the 2030 World Cup, aims to double the bet in 2029, taking advantage of their high-level infrastructure and their organizational expertise. However, this double organization raises questions about the concentration of competitions in Europe. Other nations, such as Brazil, Qatar, Morocco, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, also express their interest, each with distinct arguments: existing infrastructure, political support, will to develop local football or FIFA geographic diversification strategy. At the same time, FIFA plans to expand the format of the competition, going from 32 to 48 teams in 2029, like the 2026 male World Cup and the 2031 women's cup. This expansion would aim to include more historic clubs, such as FC Barcelona, ​​Liverpool, Arsenal and AC Milan, currently excluded due to national quotas strict.

However, this proposal arouses concerns about the overload of the international calendar and the impacts on domestic competitions, especially in Europe. The question of the calendar remains central. Qatar proposes to organize the tournament in winter, in December 2029, to avoid extreme temperatures of summer. This proposal, although supported by FIFA because of the possibility of a carbonating event and the use of existing infrastructure, risks disturbing the seasons of European leagues and rekindling tensions with bodies such as FIFPro and the association of European leagues. Thus, FIFA is faced with a dilemma: reconciling economic and geopolitical ambitions with sporting and logistical realities. The organization of the 2029 club World Cup could mark a new stage in the growing influence of Saudi Arabia on world football. While the country continues to invest massively in sport, in particular via its public investment fund (PIF), several observers see in Riyadh a serious pretender to welcome this future edition, in continuity of its confirmation as host of the 2034 World Cup. This interest is part of a wider strategy aimed at positioning Saudi Arabia as a major center of international football, while stimulating its economy and its image worldwide. With the development of Saudi Pro League Saudi and its strategic partnerships, in particular through participation in sports broadcasters such as DAZNthe kingdom seeks to establish its weight in the organization of major events. However, this ambition comes up against questions about the country's ability to manage such a complex competition, as well as criticism of environmental issues and human rights. The 2029 club World Cup could therefore be a crucial test of Saudi rise in world football.