Fifa clears the way for Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup

Prince Mohammed Bin Salman with Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at the 2018 World Cup

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The 2034 World Cup hosts are set to be confirmed by October 2024 at the earliest, amid widespread expectation – and some criticism within the game – that Saudi Arabia will win the rights.

Fifa launched the bidding contest for the competition on Friday, giving member associations until 31 October to confirm their interest. It already represents a streamlined process, with the 2034 event only open to countries from the Asian Football Confederation and Oceania Football Confederation. That comes after Tuesday’s announcement that the 2030 event would be played across three continents in Morocco-Portugal-Spain, with the opening three games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to reflect the centenary of the first World Cup.

The Fifa Council’s decision has ensured all of Uefa, the African confederation [CAF], the South American confederation Conmebol and central American confederation Concacaf are out of the 2034 process, because they will all have hosted World Cup games within the previous two tournaments.

This has raised questions within the game, not least at why the 2030 bid was not voted by all member associations in the way that was supposed to become the newly transparent norm after the hugely controversial 2018-22 voting process in 2010. While the 211 member associations will eventually vote to ratify the 2030 decision, it was ultimately taken by the 37-person Council and approved by all six confederations after what is described as “extensive consultation”.

Fifa would say it speaks for the member associations, and has publicly pointed to the nature of a “unique global celebration” to recognise the competition’s centenary. This involved the agreement of three confederations, and ensured there was only one bid to be voted on. It also comes amid a memorandum of understanding between Uefa and Conmebol over a raft of common issues in the game. As part of the new transparency, the latest bidding documents have also been published.

It was the move to incorporate three games in South America to recognise Uruguay 1930 that has eliminated Conmebol from the 2034 bidding, with the first game to be held in Montevideo, the second to be held in Buenos Aires, and third in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion as the base of the confederation. There has been some surprise among other federation heads at why South America – which represents the spiritual home of the World Cup – has given up the chance to host a full tournament for at least 24 years for the sake of three admittedly prestigious games. That will be the gap between Brazil 2014 and a 2038 event, at the earliest.

Australia and New Zealand are expected to submit a joint bid for 2034 after the success of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, and after missing out on 2022, but they have limited time. The Australia men’s national team face England in a friendly at Wembley on Friday, an event that could involve significant football politics discussion.

The FA themselves will be celebrating the confirmation of the Euro 2028 bid with the Football Association of Ireland and the other home nations on Tuesday, as part of a run of events that will bring major tournaments back to main European powers in a complete contrast with 2018-22. With Spain also getting its first tournament since 1982 in 2030 and Italy expected to get its first since 1990 at Euro 2032, there have been criticisms from outside Uefa about horse-trading there.

FA chair Debbie Hewitt is also a Fifa vice-president, so would have been involved in the process that led to 2030 being decided by the Fifa Council rather than Congress. The global body is content all protocols have been followed, since it is Congress which will eventually ratify the 2030 decision.

There is widespread feeling within the sport that the situation has left 2034 virtually clear for Saudi Arabia, amid the kingdom’s huge global expansion into sport, and with its a strong relationship with Gianni Infantino’s Fifa regime. This year’s Club World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia for the first time, with the Saudi Pro League clubs aiming to make a huge statement at the 2025 edition in the USA as part of the next stage of the Club World Cup’s expansion.

Fifa is content that the six-country, three-continent 2030 bid is in line with its rotation policy.

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