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Saudi Arabia Officially Submits Bid to Host the FIFA World Cup 2034

Saudi Arabia submitted on Monday its official bid to FIFA to host the World Cup 2034. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia submitted on Monday its official bid to FIFA to host the World Cup 2034. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Officially Submits Bid to Host the FIFA World Cup 2034

Saudi Arabia submitted on Monday its official bid to FIFA to host the World Cup 2034. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia submitted on Monday its official bid to FIFA to host the World Cup 2034. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia submitted on Monday its official bid to FIFA to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 at a ceremony hosted by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in Paris, France.

The bid book was submitted by an official delegation led by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) President, Yasser Al-Misehal, and two young talents from the regional training centers affiliated with SAFF.

The Saudi bid to host the World Cup 2034 is a significant milestone, made possible thanks to the empowerment by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the unwavering support provided by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The bid reflects the Kingdom’s continuous efforts to achieve the sports objectives of Vision 2030 and the ambitions and aspirations of the Saudi people.

Prince Abdulaziz said: “I extend my sincerest gratitude to our visionary leadership that has enabled us to reach this milestone in the history of Saudi sports. I also express my profound thanks to the Crown Prince and Prime Minister for his unwavering support for the development of the sports sector.”

“Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the World Cup 2034 is a bid for the future. The Kingdom aims to host the most important event in the world of football, which would reaffirm its influential position on the global stage across various fields, including sports,” he added.

“The involvement of two children submitting the bid embodies the significant contributions of the youth of this great nation; youth are our largest population segment. With their passion and outstanding talent in various fields, including football, our youth are the key to achieving the Kingdom's future ambitions,” he stressed.

“Their involvement sends a powerful message, reflecting the dreams and aspirations of our youth to participate in a World Cup on our home soil, to help organize the tournament, or to support the Kingdom's efforts in welcoming the world.”

Al-Misehal said: “Our bid campaign marks our firm commitment to hosting the world’s greatest football tournament, and a deep desire to advance sport and the quality of life for our people. Our country’s love of football is rooted in history, and we want to showcase to FIFA how we will harness this enthusiasm not just in 2034 – but for generations to come.”

“We want to create an enduring legacy to help push Saudi Arabia’s transformation to new heights,” he added.

Including the two young talents as part of the official Saudi delegation to submit the bid book is an initiative led by SAFF. This aligns with the projected growth of Saudi football over the next ten years and reflects the aspirations and ambitions of the Saudi people, as well as their passion for hosting an exceptional edition of the World Cup.

The submission of the bid book to FIFA marks the third stage in the official bid process to secure hosting rights for the 2034 tournament. Saudi Arabia, through SAFF, announced its intention to bid for the World Cup 2034 on October 4, 2023, as the sole nation in the race to host this edition of the global sporting event.

This was followed by Saudi Arabia’s official bid campaign reveal. The current submission of the bid book underscores the Kingdom's commitment and determination to host the event.

The next stages will include official visits by FIFA and a comprehensive evaluation of the bid, leading up to the selection of the host nation for the World Cup 2034 on December 11.

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FIFA Chief Infantino Praises Impact of Expanded Tournaments in Speech to Asian Football Group

A video recording of FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivering his speech is displayed during the 35th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 12 April 2025. (EPA)
A video recording of FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivering his speech is displayed during the 35th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 12 April 2025. (EPA)
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FIFA Chief Infantino Praises Impact of Expanded Tournaments in Speech to Asian Football Group

A video recording of FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivering his speech is displayed during the 35th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 12 April 2025. (EPA)
A video recording of FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivering his speech is displayed during the 35th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 12 April 2025. (EPA)

FIFA president Gianni Infantino praised the impact of expanded tournaments in the development of soccer around the world in a video message to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress on Saturday.

Speaking from the United States, host of this year's Club World Cup which will feature 32 teams in June and July instead of the previous seven, Infantino addressed the 46 member associations gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“Opportunities to face opponents from different continents don’t come along too often and that is something that we have been trying to change at FIFA,” said Infantino, who has pushed for bigger and new tournaments since taking his position in 2016 in a bid to generate more revenue for the organization’s 211 member associations.

Asia will have four representatives at the Club World Cup: Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, Ulsan HD of South Korea and Japan’s Urawa Reds.

“In total, players from more nations will represent their respective countries at this tournament than at all of the FIFA World Cups combined since 1930,” added Infantino. “It is further proof in our desire to make football truly global.”

While there has been some criticism of expanded tournaments in Europe because of the increased demands placed on players, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said Infantino had Asia’s support.

“This is a competition that we have supported as a confederation and a competitive opportunity which our members, and their clubs, have wanted,” the AFC president said.

The United States will also co-host the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and Canada in the first tournament to feature 48 national teams, an increase from 32 in 2022.

“Some teams will break new ground in reaching that competition as a result, not only of the move to 48 teams with eight or even nine Asian teams now being able to qualify, but also a product of the tireless work being done by you all,” added Infantino.

Infantino did not mention Thursday’s proposal by Alejandro Dominguez, the president of South American soccer’s ruling body CONMEBOL, that the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted by six nations, feature 64 teams in order to mark the centennial celebration of the tournament.

In March, FIFA said it would look into the South American proposal when it was first broached by a Uruguayan official. Uruguay hosted the first World Cup in 1930.

The 1930 World Cup, won by the host Uruguay side, featured 13 teams which did not have to pre-qualify — seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America. Many European teams did not participate because of the difficulty of traveling to South America during the Great Depression.