In March 2025, Muhammad Arshad, a Pakistani migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, died while working on the construction of Al Khobar’s Aramco Stadium. This facility is set to host events for the 2034 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 Asian Football Confederation Cup. Arshad’s death leaves his family, including three young sons, without their primary source of income.
On World Day Against Child Labor, attention is drawn to the economic hardships faced by families like Arshad’s when migrant workers die in Saudi Arabia. Without compensation for such deaths, families can experience severe financial crises.
Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, mainly from South Asia and Africa, face various labor abuses including wage theft and unsafe working conditions while constructing FIFA facilities. Human Rights Watch reports that Saudi Arabia fails to protect these workers adequately from abuses such as forced labor and exorbitant recruitment fees. Many worker deaths are attributed to “natural causes,” a term often used to obscure extreme heat exposure and dangerous worksite conditions, leaving families without eligibility for compensation.
The loss of a family’s breadwinner often forces difficult decisions, such as removing children from school to work. Although some governments offer support like scholarships for children of deceased workers, this assistance is frequently insufficient.
A widow of a Bangladeshi worker shared with Human Rights Watch: “To make ends meet, I have put my 14-year-old son to work, and the little money he earns is used for our daily expenses.”
This situation mirrors previous incidents where unexplained worker deaths occurred before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Despite FIFA acknowledging its responsibility to compensate affected families, many are still waiting for aid.
FIFA is urged to uphold its human rights obligations by ensuring stronger protections for migrant workers to prevent fatalities in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. The organization should advocate for thorough investigations into all worker deaths and provide compensation and educational support for their families.
