)
Saudi Arabia have been confirmed as the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup and here are three reasons why it is happening.
World football governing body, FIFA have announced that the 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia.
The Middle Eastern nation had earlier this month submitted an official indication of its interest in hosting the Mundial and FIFA have now confirmed it.
Other than the fact that they can afford it and showed interest, here are three reasons why Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
3 reasons Saudi Arabia are hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup
1. Saudi Arabia had no competition
Saudi Arabia won the hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup unopposed as they had no competition in their bid.
FIFA had limited the bidding process for the 2034 World Cup to countries from the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation.
With the 2026 event heading to the United States, Canada and Mexico and the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, including several matches in South America, it is only fair that the 2034 edition goes to Asia or Oceania.
As a result, Saudi Arabia’s bid was valid but no other country from the region sent in a bid meaning Saudi won by default.
)
Australia were the only other country that even showed any form of interest in the tournament but hours before FIFA's deadline for declarations of interest on Tuesday, the Australian Football Federation announced that they had "explored the opportunity" of a bid but had decided against it.
Football Australia said in a statement: "Having taken all factors into consideration, we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition.
Football Australia is ambitious to bring more major tournaments to our shores. We believe we are in a strong position to host the Women's Asian Cup in 2026 and then welcome the greatest teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup."
2. The success of Qatar 2022
FIFA faced widespread criticism when Qatar was awarded the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup but all that controversy was put to bed with what was genuinely one of the best Mundials in history.
)
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was the first-ever held in the Middle East and the success of that tournament is a big factor in bringing the Mundial back to that region just 12 years later.
Questions about the harsh weather conditions or the conservative religious lifestyle have already been answered in Qatar so the world has automatically become more receptive to the idea of Saudi Arabia hosting.
In fact, the onus is now on Saudi Arabia to raise the bar much higher than what Qatar managed to achieve a year ago but in terms of the amazing football and the off-the-field experiences that make for an amazing World Cup.
)
06:05 - 01.05.2023
FOOTBALL Qatar spending big to mitigate post World Cup slump
The Gulf estimates that the World Cup, which residents once dreaded, brought 1.4 million people to the state.
3. Football is migrating to Saudi Arabia
Hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034 is another step in Saudi Arabia’s plan to become a dominant force in world football.
The aggressive nature of their attempts to improve the Saudi Pro League have not gone unnoticed as some of the very best football players in the world have been tempted away from Europe to Saudi Arabian clubs in a government-backed raid.
)
The exodus of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar and Ngolo Kante to name a few has drawn significant attention to Saudi Arabian football.
This carefully orchestrated transfer action happened just after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar where the Saudi Arabian national team defeated eventual champions Argentina.
)
Saudi Arabian football clearly has momentum right now and the 2034 FIFA World Cup would go a long way in establishing them as a serious football nation.
Saudi Arabia’s minister of sport, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al Faisal alluded to this in a statement via the Saudi Press Agency: "Hosting a FIFA World Cup in 2034 would help us achieve our dream of becoming a leading nation in world sport and would 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 is a natural next step in our football journey."
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)