Business of Sport

Saudi Arabia formally bids to host Fifa World Cup 2034

By Pramod Kumar

July 30, 2024, 6:54 AM

Saudi and Fifa officials at the bid submission event in Paris

Saudi Arabia has officially submitted its bid to host the Fifa World Cup 2034.

The bid books will be published after the official deadline ends on July 31, the football governing body said in a statement.

Saudi officials, including sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal and Saudi Arabian Football Federation president Yasser Al Misehal, handed the bid book to Fifa.

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The bid books and accompanying documents will be published on the Fifa website after the deadline expires. Fifa will publish its evaluation report in the fourth quater of 2024. Saudi Arabia submitted the only bid.

“The submission of the bid books represents a key milestone in the bidding processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the World Cup,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

“We are committed to hosting an exceptional edition of the World Cup set to feature 48 teams in a single country for the first time in the history of the competition,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported quoting Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal Al Saud.

On October 4 2023 Fifa invited bids from countries in Asia and Oceania, setting a deadline of October 31. The only country in contention, Australia, did not apply on the final day of the bids.

Saudi Arabia had last year explored the possibility of a joint bid with Egypt and Greece for the 2030 World Cup but shifted its focus to a lone bid for 2034 after securing the support of European countries and dozens of other nations.

Qatar, the first Arab country to host the tournament, in 2022, used air-conditioned stadiums but still had to request to stage it in the winter. Saudi Arabia has praised Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 event.

The Saudi bid aims to showcase the country’s tourism locations by staging the games in high-altitude venues, almost certainly including some in Neom, which is being developed in the mountainous northwest.

“The 2034 Fifa World Cup is our invitation to the world to witness Saudi Arabia’s development, experience its culture and become part of its history,” the Saudi Arabian Football Federation said after submitting the bid.