The only candidate for the organization of the 2034 World Cup since Tuesday, Saudi Arabia has been increasing its investments in soccer for several years but also Formula 1, golf, horse riding and boxing.
The oil monarchy, often criticized for its lack of respect for human rights, is trying to improve its image by investing in several high-profile sporting competitions.
Winter sports
In October 2022, the designation of Saudi Arabia, a predominantly desert country where temperatures hover around 50°C in summer, to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029 sparked outrage. The event, which has already drawn the wrath of environmental defenders, will be held in Neom, a mega city under construction where a winter sports complex will be open all year round. Five years later, the same year as the World Cup, the capital Riyadh will host the 2034 Asian Games, a multi-sport event of Olympic dimension. Organizing the Olympic Games is the kingdom’s “ultimate goal,” Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal told AFP last August.
Formula 1
Since 2021, the Formula 1 world championship has stopped in Jeddah for a night race along the coast. The Saudi Grand Prix is one of four grands prix held on the Arabian Peninsula along with those in Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The 2022 edition of the race was marked by an attack on an oil depot located near the circuit by Houthi rebels from Yemen, a war-torn neighbor of Saudi Arabia.
Soccer
Since the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for Al-Nassr in January, Saudi league clubs, backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), have embarked on a player-buying spree. The signing of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, for a contract worth an estimated total of 400 million euros, paved the way for the arrival of other stars at the end of their careers in the Saudi Pro League such as Karim Benzema and Neymar . In October 2021, well before the start of the wave of transfers to the Saudi championship, a consortium financed by the oil monarchy completed the takeover of Newcastle United, an English Premier League club. Saudi Arabia will host the Club World Cup at the end of December, as well as the 2027 Asian Cup, a dress rehearsal for the 2034 World Cup. It is also a candidate to host the World Cup. female Asia in 2026.
Golf
With the launch of the LIV Tour in 2021, Saudi money has changed the face of professional golf. After a two-year battle in which the public investment fund (PIF)-funded tour poached players from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour for considerable sums, LIV Golf is expected to finally merge with the American and European in December. Former world number one Dustin Johnson, one of the LIV Tour’s top signings, raked in $35 million in winnings in the inaugural season, on top of the $150 million he reportedly received for simply agreeing to play.
Boxing
When world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury won a split decision over MMA star Francis Ngannou on Saturday, it was just the latest in a string of high-profile fights staged in Saudi Arabia. Anthony Joshua, another British boxer, fought twice in Saudi Arabia, brushing aside criticism of “sportwashing” – a process aimed at improving his reputation through high-profile sporting events – against the kingdom.
Tennis
The 2023 edition of the “next gen” Masters, which brings together eight of the best players under the age of 21, will take place in Jeddah in December. Saudi Arabia was also among the candidates to host this year’s WTA Masters before Cancun, Mexico was named.
Rally-raid
The Dakar, initially contested between Paris and the Senegalese capital, has been organized in Saudi Arabia since 2020. The 2022 edition was marked by the explosion two days before the departure of the car of French driver Philippe Boutron, seriously injured. An “accident” according to Ryad, an improvised explosive device, according to French investigators.
Horse riding
Saudi Arabia has risen to the forefront of horse racing organizers by launching the Saudi Cup in 2020: the richest race in the world with $20 million in winnings.