It is as good as certain that Saudi Arabia will the host football’s showpiece event the FIFA World Cup 2034, as Australia – the only other nation applying to host the event – officially withdrew its bid.
As the only nation putting forward an official bid (of which the deadline is Oct 31, 2023) this leads the road clear for Saudi Arabia to become the second ever Middle East nation to host the FIFA World Cup, following on from Qatar in 2022.
With the next two FIFA World Cups already set to take place in North and Central America (2026); and Europe and North Africa (2030), the criteria for bidding nations was narrowed down to those from Asia and Oceania to bid for 2034.
The Saudi World Cup 2034 bid was backed by the Asian Football Confederation.
“We believe the time is right for Saudi Arabia to host the Fifa World Cup”, said Yasser Al Misehal, president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, in a previous statement after the 2030 hosts were announced.