Saudi PIF enters into a new arrangement with FIFA and confirms that sport remains a strategic priority
The Saudi Public Investment Fund, known by the English abbreviation PIF, has concluded a new commercial arrangement with FIFA and become an official tournament supporter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to PIF's announcement of May 14, 2026, the partnership concerns the next edition of the tournament, which will be played in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, while the Saudi fund emphasizes that sport remains one of the priority areas of its investments. The news comes at a time when Saudi Arabia has already been confirmed as the host of the 2034 World Cup, so the new agreement can also be viewed as a continuation of the strengthening of its position in global football.
FIFA previously announced that the 2026 World Cup will be the largest edition of the competition to date, with 48 national teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities in three countries. In that broader commercial program, regional tournament supporters have a different role from global FIFA partners and sponsors, but they are important for the markets and regions in which the tournament is promoted. According to a report by the Associated Press, the financial details of the new arrangement have not been disclosed, which is common for some commercial contracts in major sporting competitions.
An agreement that consolidates the Saudi presence in world football
The new contract further links the Saudi investment fund with the most valuable competition in international football. In recent years, PIF has increased its presence in sport through ownership stakes, sponsorships, infrastructure investments and support for major events, and football has taken a central place in that strategy. According to the fund's official announcements, PIF had already cooperated with FIFA on the 2025 Club World Cup, which opened the way for a broader partnership ahead of the 2026 tournament.
For Saudi Arabia, football has both a domestic and an international dimension. At the domestic level, investments are visible through the strengthening of the Saudi Pro League, the attraction of well-known foreign players and the takeover of key clubs in the country. At the international level, PIF and other Saudi institutions are seeking to increase the country's visibility through competitions watched by hundreds of millions of viewers. Such an approach fits into the Vision 2030 economic transformation program, through which Riyadh wants to reduce its reliance on oil revenues and develop sectors such as tourism, entertainment, sport, technology and financial services.
The Associated Press reported that the Saudi fund emphasized in its message that sport remains a priority area, although signs of a change in direction have appeared in other sports projects. The case of golf is particularly prominent, where Saudi capital had a strong role in previous years through LIV Golf. The new football arrangement shows that, regardless of individual reshuffles, the strategic interest in major sports platforms has not diminished.
The 2034 World Cup as the central part of a long-term plan
Saudi Arabia was confirmed on December 11, 2024, as the host of the 2034 World Cup after an extraordinary FIFA congress. According to FIFA, all 211 national associations participated in the virtual procedure in which the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 editions were confirmed. The Saudi bid for 2034 was the only bid for that edition, and FIFA had previously stated in its evaluation report that the application exceeded the minimum hosting requirements.
FIFA's documents highlighted that the assessment of bids was based on a series of criteria, from infrastructure, stadiums, accommodation and transport capacities to sustainability, the event vision and human rights issues. For Saudi Arabia, this means a decade of intensive preparations in which stadiums, transport solutions, hotel capacities, security systems and tournament logistics will have to be developed. PIF and other state investment instruments will have an important role in that process because a large part of the Saudi transformation relies on coordinated investments by the state and related companies.
The Vision 2030 program describes sport as one of the tools for changing social habits, developing the entertainment industry and creating new economic opportunities. Saudi official websites state that in recent years the country has hosted a number of major events, including Formula 1 races, boxing events, tennis competitions, the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 and the Esports World Cup. In that context, the 2034 World Cup is not an isolated project, but the culmination of a longer process through which Saudi Arabia wants to become one of the centers of the global sporting calendar.
The commercial importance of the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition with 48 national teams and the first jointly organized by three countries. In April 2026, FIFA announced that global sponsorship packages for the tournament had sold out and that only regional places in the tournament supporter category remained. According to FIFA, the commercial program for the 2026 championship had already set new records for sponsorship revenue for a standalone sporting event before the start of the tournament.
That is precisely why the entry of Saudi PIF into the circle of official tournament supporters has a broader significance than a usual sponsorship arrangement. It is a matter of positioning on a platform that, according to FIFA's estimates, will reach billions of people through stadiums, television broadcasts, digital channels and commercial activities. FIFA states that it reinvests revenue from its competitions into the development of football through national associations, youth programs, women's football and development projects.
For PIF, such an arrangement is an opportunity to further present itself as a global investor, not only as a fund connected with domestic Saudi projects. The fund manages a large portfolio at home and abroad, and its investments in recent years have included technology, games, infrastructure, tourism, finance, real estate and sport. In the sports part of the portfolio, football remains the most visible platform because it combines a mass audience, media exposure and political-economic influence.
From clubs to major tournaments
Saudi investments in football are not limited to FIFA tournaments. In 2023, PIF took majority stakes in the four largest clubs of the Saudi Pro League: Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli. That move was part of a broader reorganization of domestic football, which included the arrival of major international names and an increase in the league's commercial value. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar and other well-known players attracted global attention with their arrivals, although the pace of signing the biggest stars later calmed down somewhat.
Football projects also have a domestic economic goal. Saudi Arabia wants to increase the number of visitors to sporting events, develop sports tourism, create jobs and stimulate the private sector. According to official Saudi announcements related to Vision 2030, sport is presented as a sector that can contribute to GDP growth and the social activity of the population. At the same time, the state is investing in stadiums, new urban projects, entertainment zones and infrastructure for major international events.
PIF is one of the key instruments in that system. The fund supports major projects such as Qiddiya City, which is presented as a future center of entertainment, sport and culture, as well as other initiatives connected with the country's tourism and infrastructure transformation. The agreement with FIFA therefore fits into the same investment pattern: sport is used as a growth sector, but also as an international channel for changing the country's perception.
Criticism over human rights and accusations of sportswashing
Alongside the growth of Saudi investments in sport, criticism from human rights organizations continues. In a report on the risks connected with the 2030 and 2034 championships, Amnesty International warned that in the case of Saudi Arabia the issues of migrant workers' rights, freedom of expression, women's rights, fans' rights and the protection of journalists are particularly prominent. The organization called on FIFA to demand binding guarantees and independent oversight mechanisms from the hosts of major tournaments.
Human Rights Watch and other organizations also criticized the awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, claiming that preparations for the tournament may increase the risk of labor rights violations, especially in the construction, transport, hospitality and security sectors. Saudi authorities and institutions, on the other hand, emphasize economic and social reforms and claim that major sporting events contribute to the modernization of the country and its opening to the world.
The term sportswashing is often used in discussions about countries that use sports investments to try to improve their international image despite criticism over human rights or political practices. Saudi Arabia rejects such an interpretation and presents sport as part of legitimate economic diversification. Regardless of these opposing views, it is clear that preparations for the 2034 World Cup will remain under the scrutiny of the international public, especially because of the expected major construction and infrastructure projects.
What the new contract means for FIFA and Saudi Arabia
For FIFA, the new arrangement means further strengthening of the commercial program ahead of a tournament described as the largest in the history of world football. In its announcements, the organization emphasizes that revenues from sponsorships, media rights and other commercial activities finance development programs in 211 national associations. In practice, however, such contracts also raise questions about how FIFA balances commercial interests, political neutrality and its own human rights standards.
For Saudi Arabia, the contract has symbolic and practical value. Symbolically, it confirms that the country is already firmly included in the global football system, eight years before the start of the tournament it will host. Practically, PIF gains another major international platform for connecting its companies, projects and investment priorities with the World Cup audience. This is especially important because the Saudi strategy is not based only on attracting events, but also on creating a connected ecosystem of sport, entertainment, tourism, media and infrastructure.
The agreement comes in a period in which global sport is increasingly intertwined with sovereign investment funds, geopolitical interests and the battle for media attention. PIF's partnership with FIFA is therefore not only sports news, but also an indicator of the direction in which the market for major competitions is moving. Football remains a space in which fans, commercial partners, host countries, television companies and investors meet, and the Saudi role in that space is becoming increasingly visible.
Ahead of a tournament that will change the World Cup format
The 2026 World Cup will be a test for the expanded competition format, but also for FIFA's new commercial model. More national teams and more matches mean a longer tournament, greater logistical demands and a larger number of markets involved in global promotion. In such an environment, regional supporters gain additional value because they help connect the tournament with audiences and commercial partners on different continents.
Saudi PIF enters that process with a clear message that sport remains part of a long-term strategy. Although discussions about Saudi sports investment are often conducted through the prism of individual transfers or sponsorship contracts, the broader picture shows a systematic attempt to connect economic diversification, international influence and preparation for the largest event Saudi Arabia has ever been awarded through sport. As the 2034 tournament approaches, every new contract with FIFA will carry additional weight because it will also be viewed as part of Saudi Arabia's path toward the role of World Cup host.
Sources:
- Public Investment Fund – announcement that PIF has been appointed an official tournament supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026. (link)
- Associated Press – report on PIF's new contract with FIFA and the Saudi strategy of sports investments (link)
- FIFA – data on the commercial program and format of the 2026 World Cup. (link)
- FIFA – bid evaluation reports for the hosting of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. (link)
- FIFA – confirmation of the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups at the extraordinary congress (link)
- Vision 2030 – overview of the Saudi sports strategy and major events as part of economic transformation (link)
- Amnesty International – report on human rights risks connected with the bids for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. (link)