Prepare for another winter WC! EPL set to be forced into another winter break
Australia's decision not to bid for the 2034 World Cup, leaving Saudi Arabia as the only other bidder, means Premier League clubs are facing the prospect of another winter tournament to work around.
While the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada is returning to its more traditional summer slot, fast forwarding to 2034 and a second Winter World Cup is on the horizon.
The Premier League was forced into hitting pause on its season for the most recent World Cup, which took place in Qatar back in November.
With temperatures in Saudi Arabia regularly hitting as high as 43 degrees celsius in summer, a winter slot is the only humane option for a World Cup.
Should Saudi Arabia be ratified as hosts - and that appears a foregone conclusion at this stage with no rival bid - it would undoubtedly be met with controversy, despite them expanding their sporting portfolio in recent years with Formula 1, boxing and tthe recruitment of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and others to the Saudi Pro League.
Amnesty International, a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia's push into elite-level sport, said on Tuesday that the Kingdom would need to give FIFA 'clear and binding commitments' on areas such as human rights, in order to be awarded the prestige of hosting a World Cup.
'Human rights commitments must be agreed with potential hosts before final decisions on holding the tournaments are made,' they said.
'The best chance for Fifa to obtain binding guarantees to protect workers' rights, ensure freedom of expression and prevent discrimination linked to the World Cup is during the host selection process - not after the hosts have been confirmed and tournament preparation has begun.'
Last week Human Rights Watch said: 'The possibility that
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