Football Australia and New Zealand Football urge FIFA to clarify Saudi sponsorship of 2023 Women’s World Cup

February 2, 2023

Upcoming Women's World Cup co-hosts, Australia and New Zealand have criticised FIFA for signing a reported sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia’s tourism authority, Visit Saudi.

It is anticipate that the global football organisation will soon confirm reports that Visit Saudi will join international brands including Adidas, Coca-Cola, the Commonwealth Bank and Visa as major sponsors of the tournament.

Concerns have been raised by a number of critics globally on the basis of the Saudi Arabian government’s history of oppressing women’s rights, which contradicts FIFA’s commitment to gender equality in its sustainability framework.

New Zealand Football noted “If these reports prove correct, we are shocked and disappointed to hear this as we haven’t been consulted by FIFA at all on this matter.”

In a statement, Football Australia said it understood FIFA had “entered into a destination partnership agreement in respect to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand.

“We are very disappointed that Football Australia were not consulted on this matter prior to any decision being made.

“Football Australia and New Zealand Football have jointly written to FIFA to urgently clarify the situation.”

Australia and New Zealand have both joined human rights groups, including Amnesty International, in criticising the potential deal as FIFA seeks to attract brands to specifically support women’s football.

The 2023 World Cup is scheduled to run from 20th July for a month across 12 cities in New Zealand and Australia, with organisers estimating that around 2 billion people will watch the tournament as the popularity of the women’s game continues to rise.

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