First migrant worker death reported on Saudi World Cup stadium

The Guardian has reported that a Pakistani foreman has died while working on the Aramco stadium in Saudi Arabia, claiming he is the first known death of a migrant worker linked to the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

According to the Guardian, Muhammad Arshad passed away in hospital on 12 March after falling from height during the construction of the Aramco stadium – a 47,000-seat sports venue in Al Khobar designed by architecture studio Populous.

The newspaper claimed that his death, which was confirmed by one of the stadium's main contractors Besix Group, was the first known death of a migrant worker to be directly linked to Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup.

"A team of three workers was engaged in formwork operations [creating moulds for concrete] at height when the platform they were working on tilted," Besix Group said in a statement, reported The Guardian.

"While all three were equipped with personal fall-arrest systems, one worker was not connected to an anchor point at the time of the incident and fell, sustaining severe injuries."

"Safety is and remains our absolute priority," it continued. "The authorities are conducting a full inquiry, and we are fully cooperating to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy."

Workers reportedly forced to work in abusive conditions

The Aramco stadium is one of 15 stadiums set to host Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup, 11 of which will be newly built.

In November last year, the Daily Mail reported that some migrant workers working on the Aramco stadium were housed in "squalid rooms" and had to work 10-hour shifts in scorching summer temperatures for less than £2 an hour. Some workers also reportedly had wages withheld by employers for months.

Numerous human rights groups have previously raised concerns about working conditions in the country linked to the upcoming football tournament and other projects including Neom's The Line megacity.

In October 2024, ITV documentary Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia stated that 21,000 migrant workers from Nepal, Bangladesh and India had died in Saudi Arabia since 2016, although it did not confirm if the causes of deaths were linked to working on construction projects.

Ahead of Saudi Arabia being announced as the official World Cup host, Amnesty International and 10 other groups criticised a human rights assessment of the country's bid for failing to acknowledge documented abuses to workers in the country.

The top image is courtesy of Populous.

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