Australia’s decision not to proceed with their 2034 World Cup bid leaves Saudi Arabia as the only confirmed bidder.
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Saudi Arabia to host World Cup after Australia withdraws bid
Saudi Arabia was left as a shoo-in to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup after Australia confirmed it would not make a bid for soccer’s global showpiece on Tuesday’s deadline day.
The world football’s governing body FIFA had invited bids from Asia and Oceania for the tournament by Oct. 31, and Saudi Arabia announced it would bid only minutes after the announcement on Oct 4.
A week after receiving an invitation from FIFA, Indonesia announced discussions with Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore for a joint bid, before ultimately supporting Saudi Arabia’s bid a week later.
Yasser Al Misehal, President of Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) said at the time of the announcement: “This is the second step of a hugely exciting journey that the nation is embarking on. Last week we announced our ambitions to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and this official submission continues our journey to make the dreams of our people a reality,” he added.
Football Australia (FA) boss James Johnson had said the country was “exploring the possibility” of 2034, but on Tuesday the domestic governing body said it would instead focus on bids for the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup.
Earlier this year, Australia hosted a successful Women’s World Cup. However, the country has never hosted a Men’s World Cup.
“We believe we are in a strong position to host the oldest women’s international competition in the world – the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 – and then welcome the greatest teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup,” FA said.
FIFA has yet to officially approve Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup, which is expected to happen next year.
In 2022, Qatar was the first Muslim and Arab state to host the FIFA World Cup. The country hosted a remarkably successful tournament, in which Argentina took the cup. Due to extremely hot weather during the summer, the tournament was held during the winter. Fans are expecting the same to happen in 2034.
Another winter World Cup 😍 pic.twitter.com/j6nB1uH0FZ
— FP (@futbolphanatics) October 31, 2023
Next World Cup Hosts
Wondering who is going to host the upcoming World Cups? Here’s a list:
- 2026 — United States, Mexico, Canada
- 2030 — Morocco, Portugal, Spain, with centenary games in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay
- 2034 — Saudi Arabia
With Saudi Arabia hosting in 2034, it marks a significant moment for the Middle East. The World Cup’s journey continues to explore new territories, making football a truly global phenomenon.
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