FIFA Announces Saudi Arabia Official Host of 2034 World Cup

The 2034 men’s football World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, while Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be joint hosts for the 2030 tournament, world governing body FIFA has confirmed.

Both bids were uncontested and were ratified at an online FIFA Congress on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, with the English, Scottish and Welsh Football Associations supporting the bids.

Three matches in the 2030 tournament will also be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark 100 years of the competition.

The hosts for both World Cups were confirmed at Wednesday’s Extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting following a vote.

All 211 of FIFA’s member nations were represented at the meeting over a video link.

The hosts for both tournaments, and of the 2030 centenary celebrations, were confirmed via two separate votes.

The first selected Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina as the centenary hosts.

The second confirmed the three hosts for 2030, as well as Saudi Arabia being awarded the 2034 tournament.

Nations gave their votes by ‘acclamation’ – clapping in front of their cameras via their video links.

Norway opted to abstain from giving their approval for the 2034 tournament being awarded to Saudi Arabia because of the bidding process, not because Saudi Arabia were named hosts.

Switzerland also asked for their observations before the vote to be included in the meeting minutes.

In all three decisions just one voting option was available, shrouding the proceedings in controversy.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of ‘sportswashing’ in recent years – using its unprecedented spending on sport to improve the oil-producing kingdom’s reputation over its human rights record and environmental impact.

The country will host football’s most high-profile tournament for the first time and is the latest example of Saudi’s growing influence on global sport.

It hosts Formula 1, boxing, golf and tennis, while the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has set up LIV Golf and purchased Premier League side Newcastle.

Saudi Arabia’s bid was given the highest-ever score by FIFA’s bid evaluation team and deemed only ‘medium risk’ on human rights. Amnesty International described FIFA’s report as “an astonishing whitewash”.

The 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia will also be the first time the expanded 48-team tournament is held in just one country, with the 2026 World Cup being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Saudi Arabia was effectively handed the finals by an agreement reached at a FIFA Council meeting on October 4 last year. Of the 15 stadiums identified to hold matches at the 2034 World Cup, four have been built so far.

– BBC / SKY SPORTS