Saudi Arabia will bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup

Saudi Arabia: Only minutes after FIFA invited countries from the Asian and Oceanian confederations, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced their intentions to bid to host the 2034 World Cup.

Following a football revolution marked by the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar Jr., the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (FF) is taking the next monumental step in promoting the sport by extending an open invitation to the entire world to join them in 2034.

With the announcement, the Saudi Arabia FF set out their aims and ambitions with their bid: “Led by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, the bid for 2034 intends to deliver a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation and the country’s deep-rooted passion for football.’

‘Saudi Arabia’s inaugural FIFA World Cup bid is backed by the country’s growing experience of hosting world-class football events and its ongoing plans to welcome fans across the world to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup.’

Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s minister for sport, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal stated ‘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’ and called it a ‘natural next step in our football journey.’

In the previous edition held in fellow Arab nation Qatar, the Saudi Arabian team achieved a historic 2-1 victory over eventual winners Argentina. Impressively, Saudi Arabia has secured a spot in the ultimate stage of the tournament on six previous occasions and, notably, will be granted an automatic spot in 2034 should their bid prove successful.

The announcement came shortly after FIFA announced Morocco, Spain and Portugal won the 2030 World Cup, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay hosting the opening matches to mark the competition’s 100th anniversary.