Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup

With Australia's last-minute withdrawal, Saudi Arabia is the only candidate left in the race to host the 2034 World Cup.

The deadline for countries to register to participate in the race to host the 2034 World Cup is 11pm on October 31, Hanoi time. Right before FIFA's deadline, Australia announced its withdrawal.

"We considered the opportunity to bid for the 2034 World Cup. However, after considering the factors, we decided not to," said a statement from Football Federation Australia. "Instead, Australia is in a stronger position to host the oldest international women's tournament, the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup. We will then welcome the world's best clubs to the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup."

Saudi Arabian fans at the 2022 World Cup - where their team defeated Argentina in the group stage. Photo: AP

The Australian Football Federation also believes that the two events, along with the 2023 Women's World Cup and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, will create a golden decade for Australian sport . According to the New York Times , Australia abandoned the race to host the 2034 World Cup because they knew they would be overwhelmed by Saudi Arabia in the vote. Saudi Arabia signed deals in the past year with many FIFA member countries, pledging millions of dollars for projects across Asia and showing interest in the African Football Confederation, by sponsoring a new tournament on the continent.

With Australia's withdrawal, Saudi Arabia is the only country left in the race to host the 2034 World Cup. As the application deadline has passed, Saudi Arabia will definitely be the host of the biggest football event on the planet in 11 years.

The 2026 World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Four years later, the World Cup will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with the centenary matches taking place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

Under the rules of rotation of World Cup hosting between continents, FIFA called on countries in Asia and Oceania to submit bids to host the 2034 World Cup. Besides Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore also formed a bidding alliance but soon withdrew. The above countries and many other Asian countries all support Saudi Arabia to host the prestigious event 11 years later.

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in football in recent years. The national championship has been upgraded by recruiting many superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane. Saudi Arabia won the right to host the 2027 Asian Cup and once wanted to host the 2030 World Cup with Egypt and Greece, but failed.

Even FIFA has moved to support Saudi Arabia's bid for the 2034 World Cup. Instead of requiring a minimum of seven stadiums that meet the standards, the world football federation has reduced this number to at least four for the 2034 tournament with up to 48 teams. The host country for the 2034 World Cup will be announced by FIFA in the fourth quarter of this year.

Vy Anh

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