Saudi Arabia 2034 FIFA World Cup bid
| ملف السعودية 2034 | |
 Official bid logo | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Cities/towns | 5 |
| Proposed stadiums | 15 |
| Sport information | |
| Sport | Soccer (football) |
| Tournament | 2034 FIFA World Cup |
| History | |
| Launched | 2024 |
The Saudi Arabia 2034 bid, is a bid led by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
After Saudi Arabia abandoned its 2030 bid alongside Greece and Egypt, they switched their focus to a solo 2034 bid. Similar strategies to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which was held in November–December as opposed to the usual summer scheduling, may be used to mitigate the country's summer heat, though the Saudi FA have insisted on a plan to host in the summer.[1] The country's bid was announced on 4 October 2023.[2] On 5 October, AFC President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa backed Saudi Arabia's bid.[3] On the 9th, Saudi Arabia announced that it had submitted the official letter of intent, and signed the declaration to FIFA to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and that over 70 different member associations had already pledged their support for its bid.[4] It was ratified by the FIFA Congress on 11 December 2024.
Background
[edit]Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced his intent to bid within minutes of FIFA announcing the bidding timeline, which was followed by the backing of Asian football leaders within the next hours. After Australia's decision to not bid for the 2034 World Cup, Saudi Arabia became the sole bidder to host the tournament.[5]
Saudi Arabia will be the first country to host the World Cup alone in its 48-team format since it was expanded from 32 teams starting with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[6]
On 30 November 2024, FIFA released its evaluation report of Saudi Arabia's bid. According to the report, Saudi Arabia was awarded an average score of 4.2 out 5, the highest in history.[7]
Bid process
[edit]Major sports events hosting experiences
[edit]- 1986 AFC Youth Championship in Riyadh
- 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Riyadh
- 1992 AFC U-16 Championship
- 1992 King Fahd Cup
- 1995 King Fahd Cup
- 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup
- 2024 FIFA Series (2/6 groups) in Jeddah
- 2027 AFC Asian Cup
- 2029 Asian Winter Games in Trojena, Neom
- 2025 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh
- 2034 Asian Games in Riyadh
Venues
[edit]
The official list of stadiums was confirmed on 31 July 2024. The tournament will be held in Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and Neom with a total of 15 stadiums. The King Salman Stadium could host the opening and final.[8]
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Abha | King Khalid University Stadium (New) | 45,428 |
| Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City Stadium | 58,432 |
| Qiddiya Coast Stadium (New) | 46,096 | |
| Jeddah Central Development Stadium (New) | 45,794 | |
| King Abdullah Economic City Stadium (New) | 45,700 | |
| Khobar | Aramco Stadium (New) | 46,096 |
| Neom | Neom Stadium (New) | 46,010 |
| Riyadh | King Salman International Stadium (New) | 92,000 |
| King Fahd Sports City Stadium | 70,000 | |
| South Riyadh Stadium (New) | 47,060 | |
| Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium (New) | 46,979 | |
| Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium | 46,865 | |
| King Saud University Stadium | 46,319 | |
| New Murabba Stadium (New) | 46,010 | |
| Roshn Stadium (New) | 46,000 |
Support
[edit]Football confederations
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Saudi Arabia switches FIFA World Cup bid from 2030 to 2034". Inside the Games. 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Morocco-Spain-Portugal to host 2030 World Cup, Saudi Arabia to bid for 2034". Al Jazeera. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "AFC President welcomes FWC hosting decision, backs SAFF intent to bid for 2034 edition". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Saudi Arabian Football Federation submits official letter of intent to bid for 2034 FIFA World Cup". saff.com.sa. Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Panja, Tariq (2023-10-31). "Saudi Arabia Is Set to Be Sole Bidder for 2034 World Cup". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ Johnson, Dale (2023-03-15). "What the World Cup will look like in 2026: 48 teams, more groups, more venues, more games". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ Roan, Dan (2024-11-30). "2034 World Cup can improve Saudi human rights - Fifa". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ "The Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup 2034 Bid Book" (PDF). 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.