The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has pledged to ensure proper labour standards during tournament preparations, which will heavily rely on migrant workers.

Two days before FIFA is set to officially confirm Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup, the United Nations’ top human rights official pledged on Monday to advocate for the proper respect of migrant labour standards during the tournament preparations.

Saudi Arabia, the sole candidate for the 2034 World Cup, is expected to secure the hosting rights unopposed during an online FIFA meeting on Wednesday.

The kingdom’s plans include constructing eight of the 15 proposed stadiums from scratch and adding 175,000 hotel rooms relying heavily on migrant workers — primarily from South Asia — under a labour framework that human rights groups have criticised for inadequate protections.

On Monday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the issue in a news conference ahead of the UN’s annual Human Rights Day, stating that while his organisation has not been directly engaged by FIFA, it is committed to ensuring human rights are integral to all major sporting events…

The Saudi World Cup plan has drawn comparisons to Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup, which was marred by allegations of widespread labour rights abuses…