90 Countries Back Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Bid

Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4
Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4
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90 Countries Back Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Bid

Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4
Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4

About 90 countries have so far backed Saudi Arabia’s candidacy to host the 2034 World Cup.

The last twelve unions that announced their support are the football federations of Tanzania, The Bahamas, Montserrat, US Virgin Islands, Haiti, Guyana, Suriname, Zambia, Gabon, Eritrea, Cambodia, and Greece. Greece is the 4th European country to support the Saudi bid.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) already submitted a letter of intent (LOI) and signed a declaration to FIFA to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup™️.

Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4, and the letter of intent – signed by SAFF President Yasser Al Misehal – officially confirms the Kingdom’s commitment to embark on the bid process set out by FIFA.

Less than a week after SAFF declared its intention to bid for the FIFA World Cup™️, over 90 FIFA Member Associations from across different continents have publicly pledged their support for the Kingdom.



Verstappen Takes Pole Position Again for Austrian GP

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the qualifying session for the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the qualifying session for the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
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Verstappen Takes Pole Position Again for Austrian GP

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the qualifying session for the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the qualifying session for the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Max Verstappen followed up his victory in the sprint race with another dominant performance in qualifying for Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday to take pole position for the fourth straight year at the Red Bull Ring.

Verstappen clocked 1 minute, 4.314 seconds with his final attempt in the third qualifying session to beat McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.404 seconds and take his eighth pole of the season, The Associated Press reported. Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri was initially 0.472 seconds back in third but had his time deleted for narrowly going outside track limits, pushing him down to seventh place and lifting George Russell of Mercedes into third.

Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes rounded out the top five.

Verstappen won the sprint race earlier Saturday ahead of Piastri and Norris to extend his lead in the overall standings to 71 points. The defending champion is looking for his eighth race win of the season and fifth in seven years at Red Bull's home circuit.