The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is certain to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup after Australia’s decision to pull out of the race to host the tournament was confirmed by FIFA, which set Thursday as the deadline to submit a bid to host the tournament. However, FIFA still needs a rubber stamp before announcing Saudi Arabia as the host nation for the 2034 edition of the FIFA World Cup.
This decision is likely to be taken until next year, but victory seems certain. The Middle East Kingdom is not unfamiliar with football, as many of the top European footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. are already playing for the Saudi Arabian franchise in the Pro-Saudi League. They have also brought big Premier League clubs like Newcastle United, launched their own LIV Golf Tour, and hosted major boxing matches.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia on October 4 officially announced that they would be bidding for the 2034 hosting rights for the prestigious FIFA tournament, and Australia was only one of the bidders to submit their bid, but later, Australia pulled out, making Saudi Arabia the sole bidder for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which has been confirmed by FIFA.
Meanwhile, a human rights group will challenge FIFA’s decision of giving Saudi Arabia the host right as FIFA is failing to apply its own rules to Saudi Arabia regarding human rights violations. Like in the case of Qatar, FIFA is also being accused of concealing human rights reports in the case of Saudi Arabia.
English Club Newcastle United’s boss Eddie Howe has welcomed FIFA’s decision to give the hosting rights to Saudi Arabia, stating that “he would expect Saudi Arabia to be a good host having previously travelled with the team”.
The next step for FIFA administration is to go through bidding and evaluation processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of FIFA World Cups, with hosts to be appointed by FIFA Congresses expected to take place by Q4 of 2024. FIFA has already confirmed that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, with Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina hosting the celebratory games.
