Saudi Arabia to host 2034 FIFA World Cup

Saudi Arabia is expected to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, with the host countries for the 2030 edition also set to be revealed shortly.

Football governing body FIFA will hold its virtual congress on Wednesday to officially decide on the host countries for upcoming World Cups. After the controversial 2022 edition in Qatar, the next tournament, in 2026, will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Beyond that, the hosts are still to be officially confirmed, though it is already known which nations were successful with their respective bids. Federations from across the globe are set to ratify that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the 2030 edition, while the 2034 tournament will take place in Saudi Arabia.

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In addition to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, the 2030 iteration will also have three ‘anniversary hosts’ in the shape of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to celebrate the competition’s 100th anniversary, with the first edition hosted and won by Uruguay.

Saudi Arabia lands 2034 World Cup

Saudi Arabia’s successful bid to land the 2034 World Cup will come under heavy scrutiny just as the 2022 version in Qatar did. The Kingdom has a far from spotless human rights record and questions will also be asked over the competition’s scheduling.

The Qatar World Cup infamously took place in the winter to avoid the scorching summer temperatures but it was a far from popular decision and thoroughly disrupted the footballing calendar, with league competitions required to take extended winter breaks.

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Perhaps anticipating the backlash, federations will be required to ratify Saudi Arabia’s inevitable victory by applause rather than by a traditional voting system.

Furthermore, both bids – the 2030 and 2034 one – have been bundled together, so a refusal to give ‘acclamation’ to Saudi Arabia would also mean ‘voting’ against Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

FIFA have rushed headlong into yet another PR debacle.