FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as host for World Cup 2034

Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed as the host of the FIFA World Cup 2034, the body announced Wednesday.

A virtual meeting of FIFA’s Congress made the conformation to the kingdom’s bid to host the tournament.

The same meeting ratified Spain, Portugal and Morocco as co-hosts for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will also stage the opening three matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to mark the World Cup’s centenary year.

The competition was first held in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1930.

Saudi Arabia was essentially already guaranteed as the 2034 hosts as no other country ran in the bidding process.

The process began in October 2023, with countries only given a month to express an interest.

FIFA rotational rules determined that only countries from Asia and Oceania could bid for the 2034 edition, as the 2030 tournament will take place across three continents – Europe, Africa, and South America – and the 2026 edition will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the USA, ruling out North and Central America.