Somali Magazine – The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) has confirmed that they have received a bid from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup in 2034.
“The FIFA administration will conduct thorough bidding and evaluation processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup, with the hosts to be appointed by FIFA Congresses expected to take place by Quarter 4 of 2024,” it said.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation wrote X.”Today, we enter the next chapter of Saudi football: intending to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Our bid is inspired by Saudi Arabia’s transformation journey, the passion of our fans, and a commitment to deliver an amazing tournament.”
The Australian Football Federation confirmed earlier Tuesday that they opted against bidding for the 2034 tournament.
FIFA had already said the tournament would be held in Asia or Oceania, while Saudi Arabia had garnered immediate support from the Asian Football Confederation.
It would almost certainly mean another winter edition, as with last year’s tournament in Qatar, due to the extreme heat during the region’s summer.
President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation Yasser Al Misehal pointed out “This moment marks the next phase in Saudi Arabia’s ambition to host the 2034 World Cup.
“We are humbled by the massive support from over 125 FIFA member associations across the world since submitting our official letter of intent a few weeks ago. The faith and trust expressed publicly so far from the football family motivates us even more to hopefully host this iconic tournament 11 years from now, for the benefit of all.Driven by a huge passion for the game by our young nation, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is fully committed to meeting and exceeding the bid’s requirements.
Yasser further noted “We truly believe in the power of football to inspire future generations. We are committed to ensuring that the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia helps grow the game across different corners of the globe and inspire future generations. Being awarded the right to host the tournament would be an honor and privilege.”
A statement from Football Australia said it had “Explored the opportunity” of a bid but had decided against it. Having taken all factors into consideration, we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” the statement said.
It further reads “Football Australia is ambitious to bring more major tournaments to our shores. We believe we are in a strong position to host the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and then welcome the greatest teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.”
It said hosting those events, in between the 2023 Women’s World Cup and 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, would complete a “truly golden decade for Australian football”.
With the 2026 finals heading to the United States, Canada, and Mexico and the 2030 finals to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, including some matches in South America – subject to approval by FIFA’s congress – only bids from the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation were being considered.
Saudi Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said in a statement via the Saudi Press Agency: “Hosting a FIFA World Cup in 2034 would help us achieve our dream of becoming a leading nation in world sport and would mark a significant milestone in the country’s transformation.
“As an emerging and welcoming home for all sports, we believe that hosting a FIFA World Cup is a natural next step in our football journey.”