Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations.

FIFA named the hosts for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups on Wednesday with Spain, Portugal and Morocco getting the former edition and Saudi Arabia controversially landing the latter. There is minimal surprise at the outcome given that the two decisions have been considered a foregone conclusion since there was only one single candidate for each event.

"FIFA's reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk," Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Labour Rights and Sport, said in a statement issued by 21 bodies.