LONDON: FIFA has officially announced that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, marking the tournament's return to the Middle East. Concurrently, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal have been granted joint hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup.
This decision was made during an extraordinary FIFA Congress held virtually, where the voting process was largely a formality, as there were no competing bids for either event.
For the 2034 tournament, FIFA aimed to rotate the event among continents, accepting bids exclusively from Asia or Oceania, given that the expanded 2026 World Cup will take place in North America.
With other potential candidates like Australia and Indonesia withdrawing their bids, Saudi Arabia became the sole contender and secured the hosting rights by default.
This will mark the return of the FIFA World Cup to the Gulf region, following Qatar's successful hosting of the 2022 edition.
Recently, Saudi Arabia revealed plans for the King Salman Stadium in Riyadh, which will have a capacity of 92,000 and will host both the opening match and the final of the 2034 tournament. The stadium is expected to be completed by 2029.
Additionally, Morocco, which has previously attempted to host the tournament five times without success, will become the second African nation to host the World Cup, following South Africa in 2010.
