In two months' time FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup. The world soccer body was urged again Friday to allow independent scrutiny of the kingdom’s human rights obligations for the tournament.

Experts and activists urge FIFA to scrutinize Saudi Arabia's human rights obligations before confirming it as the 2034 World Cup host. Concerns mirror past oversight in Qatar's 2022 bid, with calls for ongoing reviews and potential contract terminations to ensure labor rights and social reforms.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia narrowly failed on Wednesday to win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a blow to Riyadh's efforts to boost the country's rights reputation abroad and four years after it was rejected in a 2020 bid to join the 47-member body.

Saudi Arabia was defeated for a seat in the U.N.’s premier human rights body Wednesday after a campaign by rights groups urging the world body’s members to reject its bid.

Following a vote by the General Assembly, Saudi Arabia suffered a major diplomatic blow on Wednesday when it became the only competing member-state to fail to secure a seat on the UN’s top human rights committee.