Saudi Arabia announce formal bid to host 2034 FIFA World Cup

Saudi Arabia has made a formal bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, after it was confirmed that Morocco, Portugal and Spain would host the 2030 edition. Due to it being the 100th edition of the historic tournament, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will play their first home games in their own countries before joining the rest of the teams in Europe. 

The decision has been confirmed by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation on their official website. They are planning to add the holy grail of international football to their list of events after the 2027 AFC Asian Cup too. 

Saudi Arabia announce official bid to host 2034 FIFA World Cup 

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced its intention to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup™.

Led by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), 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,” the official statement on their website began. 

The press release also showcases the country’s commitment to growth for women’s football, after many referenced their oppressive policies towards women. They mentioned an increase 86% in registered female players respectively since 2021, and have established a senior and U-17 women’s side. 

They have overseen the development of “two professional women’s leagues featuring 38 clubs, and a school girls league which welcomed over 48,000 girls in its first week. In just 2 years, there has also been an 800% growth in the number of female coaches.”

But, even amidst the growth of women’s football in Saudi Arabia, a tournament held there would again be in the winter. As a result, it would pose the same issues as that of the 2022 Qatar edition where player schedules were severely affected due to the mid-season World Cup. 

FIFA will announce the winners of the bidding process at a later date, but Saudi Arabia are determined to host the 2034 edition to add to their investment towards football after the massive spending spree this summer.