Activists Call on FIFA to Ditch Aramco at World Cup

Environmental activists are ramping up pressure on FIFA to cut ties with Aramco, the Saudi state oil company, with protests planned at four World Cup venues and seven other major sporting arenas this Sunday, according to The Guardian. Demonstrators plan to chant and hold signs calling for an end to fossil fuel sponsorships in sport.

Brent Suter, a Major League Baseball pitcher and vocal supporter of the campaign, said the World Cup's global reach made it a powerful moment to carry a climate message, describing it as a reminder that the world shares one planet.

FIFA has said it is committed to player and fan safety in the heat, with measures including hydration breaks and cooling systems in stadiums. But campaigners argue that accepting Aramco funding directly contradicts FIFA's stated aims around player welfare and the long-term future of the game.