Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) president Yasser Al-Misehal stressed on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 has received unprecedented historical support from over 140 countries, reflecting the significant confidence of the international community to host the World Cup.
He noted that Saudi Arabia is experiencing a historic moment as it prepares to host the largest edition of the World Cup ever held in a single country.
"There is complete synergy and coordination among all government sectors to ensure the success of our bid to host this global event. We will deliver the best edition in the history of the World Cup on Saudi soil in 2034," he said in Riyadh at the official news conference on the Saudi bid.
Saudi Vision 2030 has driven significant development and opened the doors for the world to see Saudi Arabia, he added, noting: "The World Cup is a grand dream for the entire Saudi community."
Al-Misehal expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his support of all sectors in general and sports in particular.
He also thanked Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for his contributions to Saudi sports and his endorsement of the World Cup 2034 bid.
He acknowledged the support of Minister of Sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal throughout the journey to submit the bid.
He highlighted the new sports stadiums that will be used for the event and that will benefit future generations. The AFC Asian Cup 2027 in the Kingdom will provide an opportunity to test some of these stadiums.
Efforts are ongoing to prepare a highly capable national team to represent the Kingdom at the 2034 World Cup, he went on to say.
Meanwhile, head of the bid committee at the SAFF Hammad Al-Balawi said that by hosting the World Cup, the Kingdom will be the first country to organize the tournament alone in its new format.
The 10-year journey has already started, he remarked.
The bid enjoys unlimited support from the wise leadership, he continued, saying that hosting the World Cup will create numerous job opportunities for the Saudi people. Eighty percent of Saudis are sports enthusiasts in general, and football fans in particular.
The opening and final matches of the World Cup will be held in the capital, Riyadh, he noted.
A FIFA team will soon visit the host cities as part of the bid evaluation process.
The news conference featured a visual presentation of Saudi Arabia's bid, highlighting the five host cities and 15 world-class stadiums, as well as plans for the railway network connectingthe Kingdom with Gulf countries.
