FIFA has already decided that the 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, after Australia decided to withdraw its candidacy. Football Australia argued that it had explored the opportunity of a bid, but ultimately decided not to pursue it, leaving the way clear for Saudi Arabia as the only candidate, something confirmed hours later by Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA.
“Football unites the world like no other sport, the World Cup is the perfect showcase for a message of unity and inclusion. “Different cultures can be together” Infantino explained to break the news.
Australia, despite this resignation, remains interested in bringing more important tournaments to the country and is very close to hosting the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and then the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, after the success of the Women’s World Cup of this year.
But at the moment when the Asian Football Confederation decided to back the Saudi bid for 2034, its hopes were dashed: “After taking into account all the factors, we have come to the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” said the Australian Federation it’s a statement. “Instead, we believe we are in a strong position to host the world’s oldest women’s international competition, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026and then welcome the best teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. Achieving this – after the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023 and with the 2032 Brisbane Olympics – would represent a truly golden decade for Australian football.”
Saudi Arabia announced its interest in hosting the 2034 tournament just hours after FIFA outlined the process. Given that the 2026 finals will be held in United States, Canada and Mexicoand Spain, Portugal and Morocco will likely host the finals in 2030, only the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation will be considered for the finals in 2030. 2034.
On October 4, Saudi Arabia announced its intention to present its candidacy for the prestigious FIFA World Cup 2034. The country’s Sports Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisalsaid in a statement: “Organizing a FIFA World Cup in 2034 would help us achieve our dream of becoming a leading nation in global sports and mark a significant milestone in the country’s transformation. As an emerging and welcoming home for all sports, we believe that hosting a FIFA World Cup “It’s the natural next step in our football journey.”
The Secretary General of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Ibrahim AlkassimHe added: “Winning the candidacy is our most important game, and we will put all our efforts to try to win it and successfully organize the World Cup in Saudi Arabia. All of them (other nations) believe in our candidacy, they all witnessed the growth of the game that happened in Saudi Arabia, everyone believes in us and how we can serve as a force for good in football. FIFA’s vision is to make football global and as a member of FIFA, we, in the Football Association Saudi Arabia, we have to contribute to that vision. We want to contribute to the growth of the game around the world. It’s not just for Saudi Arabia, it’s for everyone. We are talking about 11 years from now. It’s a long journey… If we go back to 2016, when the country launched Vision 2030, seven years later you can see the enormous progress that has occurred here in Saudi Arabia. So imagine what could happen in the next 11 years”.