1
1
The world football governing body officially named Saudi Arabia the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday. This announcement is the biggest recognition yet of Saudi Arabia’s massive investments in global sports, which were driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
FIFA, in its Extraordinary Congress meeting on Wednesday, also announced Spain, Portugal, and Morocco as co-hosts of the 24th edition of the global tournament, which is billed for 2030.
Both 2030 and 2034 had single bids and were acclaimed by the applause of the over 200 FIFA member federations involved in the decision. The meeting, which was held remotely, was hosted in Zurich by the football body’s president, Gianni Infantino.
In his remark, the FIFA president praised the event’s organization, claiming that these editions will be uniquely packaged to improve the tournament’s quality and the opportunities it brings.
“We are bringing football to more countries and the number of teams has not diluted the quality. It actually enhanced the opportunity,”
The bid was open to any Asian and Oceania country that felt it had what it took to host a football tournament involving 104 matches. Saudi Arabia was the only real contender, so it’s not surprising that it was the only nation to submit a bid.
Quite recently, we’ve been seeing Infantino’s series of visits to the Kingdom to check on its readiness. However, the handwriting became clearer on the wall this August when the FIFA president launched Saudi Arabia’s Esports World Cup in Riyadh instead of attending FIFA’s more official video game tourney held simultaneously in Liverpool.
What Did Ferdinand Say?
Following the Wednesday announcement, Ferdinand took to social media to applaud Saudi Arabia’s successful bid. The former England international wrote, “Congratulations to Saudi Arabia for achieving the bid to host the 2034 World Cup! This is a football-loving nation, and I’m sure my friends in Saudi would have been celebrating last night #Saudi34.”
What About Temperature Issues?
The world football governing body is in the same position of worry it was before the last edition held in Qatar, with the temperature between May and September always topping 40°C.
If anything, this has caused growing concerns about moving the competition to a slot outside the traditional summer window. If this becomes the case, a January World Cup becomes the most viable option to avoid Ramadan, Christmas, and New Year, which will take place between November and December, ending in 2030.
European football halted for about a month in 2022 when Qatar hosted the World Cup between November 20 and December 18. It remains to be seen how FIFA intends to navigate the conditions, especially considering complaints about the fixture backlog that crawled into 2023 after the last edition. However, Saudi Arabia seems quite ready for any challenges that may come up. Winning the big for the 2034 hosting rights further aligns with the country’s broader ambition to position itself as a global sporting hub.
