Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup by FIFA’s president. The announcement came on Tuesday via an Instagram post by Gianni Infantino, where he named the countries set to host the forthcoming World Cup tournaments, naming the Kingdom for the 2034 edition.
Notably, Saudi Arabia was the sole football association to submit a bid before the deadline. FIFA had initially opened the floor for bids from countries in Asia and Oceania until October 31. Remarkably, Saudi Arabia was quick to respond, announcing its intention to bid just minutes after the initial announcement made on October 4.
Interestingly, Australia, which was seen as a potential bidder, confirmed on Tuesday that it would not be pursuing the 2034 World Cup hosting rights. Instead, Football Australia (FA) expressed its intention to center its focus on the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup. James Johnson, FA’s chief, stated, “Achieving this would represent a truly golden decade for Australian football.”
The president of the Asian Football Confederation expressed the collective support of “the entire Asian football family” for Saudi Arabia’s bid. This sentiment was echoed when Indonesia, which had initially shown interest in a joint bid with Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, later declared its support for Saudi Arabia.
It’s worth noting that while Australia has had the experience of hosting the Women’s World Cup, it has never played host to a men’s World Cup edition.
In related news, the 2030 World Cup hosting rights have been awarded to a joint venture of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. FIFA also revealed plans for centenary games set in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.