Fifa, Football, Football politics, Global development, Middle East and North Africa, Migration and development, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia and sport, South and Central Asia, Sport, Workers' rights, World Cup, World Cup 2034, World news
Pressure grows on Fifa as reports warn of serious risk to workers amid Saudi World Cup building boom
Two reports published today catalogue ‘gruesome yet avoidable accidents’ on construction sites despite the Gulf kingdom’s claims that work-related deaths have fallen
Thousands of migrant workers are likely to die in Saudi Arabia as a result of a building boom fuelled by the 2034 World Cup and other major construction projects, human rights groups have warned.
The Gulf kingdom has seen a surge in demand for cheap migrant labour, with a significant increase in foreign workers since 2021, as it starts preparations for hosting the World Cup and drives forward projects including the futurist megacity Neom.