Saudi Arabia emerges as sole bidder for 2034 FIFA World Cup

Saudi Arabia has emerged as the only bidder for 2034 football World Cup. The decision to hand over the hosting rights for the event to Saudi Arabia will be ratified officially at the end of next year, providing all of the criteria are met.

After the news was announced, FIFA President Gianni Infantino took to his official Instagram account and said that the bidding processes were approved by consensus via the FIFA Council.

"The bidding processes were approved by consensus via the FIFA Council - where all six confederations are represented - after constructive dialogue and extensive consultation. Thank you to everyone who has participated in this positive exchange," the FIFA President wrote on social media.

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Earlier, Saudi Arabia submitted their bid to FIFA to host the men's event after the football apex body restricted the process to countries from Oceania and Asia.

Australia had also shown interest in hosting the event and was the only serious challenger to Saudi Arabia. However, before FIFA's deadline for declarations of interest on October 31, Football Australia stepped back and decided not to place a bid.

The lack of any competition raises numerous questions about the compatibility of the tournament with FIFA's human rights commitments.

If the bid is ratified, Saudi Arabia will become the second country in the Middle-East after Qatar to host the football World Cup. The World Cup in Saudi Arabia could also be played in the Winter months as it was in Qatar 2022.

United States of America, Canada and Mexico will host the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. The upcoming edition of the tournament will be different from the other editions as it will be the first edition to include 48 teams, up from 32. It will also have 12 groups of four.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11, 2026, and the final match of the event will take place on July 19, 2026.