Another winter World Cup on cards after Australia withdrawal leaves one bid standing
Saudi Arabia is all but certain to host the 2034 World Cup of men’s football after solitary rival Australia decided against making a formal bid.
Governing body Fifa had already announced that the tournament would be held in Asia or Oceania as all other confederations will stage parts of the next two editions.
Australia said it “explored the opportunity” to bid but confirmed hours before Fifa’s deadline for declarations of interest on Tuesday that it had decided against submitting a proposal.
“Having taken all factors into consideration, we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” Football Australia said.
A Saudi World Cup would likely mean another winter tournament, similar to that staged in Qatar last year, as conditions are too hot in the traditional summer slot.
It would be another major statement in football from the kingdom, which has invested around $1bn in attracting top talent from Europe, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema, to play in its Saudi Pro League.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is majority owner of Newcastle United in the Premier League, while the country will stage the Club World Cup later this year.
It has made sport a key plank of its diversification strategy, ploughing $2bn into establishing the LIV Golf League as well as staging Formula 1, high-profile boxing shows and, increasingly, tennis in the country.
“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,” said Saudi minister of sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal.
“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.”
Saudi Arabia’s seemingly inevitable selection by Fifa for the 2034 World Cup will likely raise further questions about the closeness of the relationship between its rulers and Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
To mark the centenary of the first World Cup in 2030, inaugural hosts Uruguay, current holders Argentina and South American football HQ Paraguay will stage their opening fixtures before the tournament moves to Spain, Portugal and Morocco for the remainder.
USA, Canada and Mexico are due to stage the next edition in 2026.
Australian football chiefs said it remained “ambitious to bring more major tournaments to our shores”, with the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and 2029 Club World Cup in its sights.
The country has already begun what a “golden decade” of hosting major sports events, bookended by this year’s Women’s World Cup and the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.