When five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave the European continent and joined the Saudi region in Asia, he probably did not realise that his move will increase the country’s hopes of hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup apart from influencing other stars to follow his footstep. Following Australia’s ultimate exit from the bidding race of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, FIFA has named Saudi Arabia as the only bidder of the tournament, and it will be only a matter of time before the oil-rich nation is confirmed to be the host of the quadrennial competition less than 11 years from now.
Australia Quit the 2034 FIFA World Cup Bid
Following the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was the first and only winter World Cup to date, the next editions of the quadrennial competition will be held at the United States of America, Mexico and Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as well as Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The 2026 edition will see 48 participating countries competing in more than two hosting nations for the first time whereas the 2030 tournament will be the only time where the FIFA World Cup is hosted by more than three countries and played in multiple regions (Europe, Africa and South America).
As for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, FIFA invited countries from Asia and Oceania for bids earlier in October 2023, and as soon as the official statement has been made, Saudi Arabia decided to participate in the bidding process. The call was certainly not a shocking one, since the nation had already expressed their desire in doing so ever since the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last December. The world no. 27 country Australia had their chance of making a bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup but opted not to waste their effort, largely due to Saudi’s monetary power that their contestant has that would seemingly outbid them in the process.
With Australia leaving the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid, Saudi Arabia became the only country in the bidding process, meaning they are only moments away from being officially made to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
View this post on Instagram
FIFA’s Statement
According to an official statement, FIFA verified that Saudi Arabia was the only football association to present a bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup and the host selection announcement will be made at the end of next year. It reads: “As established in the Bidding Regulations approved by the FIFA Council, the FIFA administration will conduct thorough bidding and evaluation processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup, with the hosts to be appointed by FIFA Congresses expected to take place by Q4 2024.”
Delighted with the all-but-confirmed decision to make Saudi Arabia the 2034 FIFA World Cup host, 49-year-old president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation Yasser Al Misehal said that everyone in the Saudi region will be committed to make the 2034 FIFA World Cup a successful one: “All members of the Saudi football family are doing their best to achieve the dream of the Saudis male and females to see the World Cup in the Kingdom for the first time. We believe in the great power of football to inspire future generations and we hope World Cup 2034 contributes to the development of the game throughout the world.”
Cristiano Ronaldo was taunted with Lionel Messi chants when playing for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in the King Cup of Champions yesterday, and he shushed the fans before leading his team to a 1-0 victory versus Al-Ettifaq in extra time. The full details of the match are covered in this article. Feel free to give it a read now!
🚨🌏 OFFICIAL: World Cup 2034 will be hosted by Saudi Arabia, as president Gianni Infantino has confirmed. 🇸🇦
“Football unites the world like no other sport, World Cup is perfect showcase for a message of unity and inclusion”.
“Different cultures can be together”. pic.twitter.com/ScNJqPzPf7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 31, 2023
Saudi Arabia Shocked Eventual Champions in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Everyone probably would not forget that Saudi Arabia, a country who are more famous in their oil production than their popularity in football, shocked Argentina in the opening Group C fixture of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The eventual champions broke the deadlock via their captain Messi in the 10th minute, but soon found themselves in a difficult position in the second half after their opponents scored twice within five minutes. Saleh Alshehri’s equaliser and Salem Aldawsari’s winning goal not only saw La Albiceleste‘s 36-game unbeaten ends in the hands of an unlikeliest opponent, but the 2-1 comeback victory also secured the biggest upset in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
Since the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which has been called the best edition ever among all 22 tournaments, the Saudi region have been actively preparing for their bid in the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and their chances of doing of have been boosted with the arrival of a megastar, Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player sparked a new hotspot for footballers for the next chapter of their football careers, and singlehandedly exerted influence to many famous players to leave Europe and join him in Asia, including Karim Benzema, Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mané, N’Golo Kanté — to name just a few.
That being said, it is not difficult to think that what these former European football club stars could bring to the table to the Saudi Pro League and the Saudi region in years to come, and with Saudi Arabia’s monetary power via their incredible oil generation, the 2034 FIFA World Cup is set to be another great edition of the celebrated competition, when it is confirmed that the Asian country will be hosting it.
