Revealed: The FA DID back Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid as the Middle East nation is named 2034 tournament hosts… with Norway abstaining from controversial vote

Saudi Arabia has been named as the hosts of the 2034 World Cup, with the FA backing their bid.

Mail Sport reported last week that the FA were yet to declare their position and had a decision to make heading into this afternoon’s FIFA congress.

They have now shown their support for Saudi Arabia, who were named hosts after being the only official bidders.

There was not be a traditional vote, as federations instead applauded to show their support for Saudi Arabia’s bid.

The FA’s support is likely to be viewed as controversial given Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and discriminatory laws.

However, it is understood that some FA members felt it would be hypocritical to oppose Saudi Arabia’s bid when England still intend on competing in the tournament.

Saudi Arabia was announced as the host for the tournament by FIFA president Gianni Infantino

Saudi Arabia has never hosted the World Cup, but that will change in 2034

According to Sky Sports, the FA met with the Saudi Arabian Federation in November to ensure that all fans would be safe and welcome at the 2034 World Cup, including LGBTQ+ supporters. 

Saudi chiefs assured English football’s governing body that they are committed to establishing an environment which is both safe and welcoming for everyone. 

The FA is expected to issue a statement on their position after this afternoon’s congress concludes.

Last week, the German FA confirmed that they would be supporting Saudi Arabia, but there has been some opposition to the Middle Eastern nation’s campaign to host football’s biggest international tournament.

The Norwegian FA announced they would vote against the bid by acclamation and formally criticised the bidding process in a letter to FIFA.

UEFA’s former general secretary, Lars-Christer Olsson, also hit out at FIFA. He said,  as quoted by The Times: ‘You should not vote by acclamation, you should vote by having a proper voting system. That is the only way for those who are against it to show they are against it. Otherwise it will just be seen as a unanimous decision for Saudi in FIFA’s records.

‘But a lot of associations are just following FIFA, looking for something for themselves. It’s a bargaining carousel. People are forgetting their principles, the things that are the foundation of their organisation and what they should do to be true to those.

‘Look at what happened with Qatar (in 2022). All the promises that they gave were not fulfilled in regards to human rights, and taking care of the workers, and improving democracy.’

Meanwhile, the hosts for the 2030 World Cup were also be confirmed this afternoon. 

That tournament has been awarded to unopposed co-hosts Spain, Morocco and Portugal, while some of the earlier matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.