Saudi Arabia consider scheduling football’s 2034 World Cup in SUMMER, despite extreme 50C heat, as they weigh up in-stadium air conditioning

Saudi Arabia is considering hosting the 2034 World Cup in the summer, despite the extreme heat expected in the Middle East at that time of year.

The Gulf state won the race to host football's premier competition after FIFA made the shock announcement on October 4 that the 2034 bidding process would take place at the same time as the 2030 bidding process.

Potential bidders were only given until October 31 to express interest. Within minutes, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announced that the kingdom would make an offer.

However, questions were raised due to the tight deadline for the bidding process, and after Australia withdrew from the running, Saudi Arabia was confirmed as the only hat left in the ring.

It marked the latest in a series of moves by the country to establish itself as one of the world's premier sporting centres, now adding international football to golf, boxing and Formula 1 in a growing number of major events.

Saudi Arabia was set to host the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2034

After Australia withdrew from the fray, the Gulf state was confirmed as the sole bidder

Lionel Messi's Argentina is the reigning champion and won in nearby Qatar last winter

Despite questions about the timing of the tournament on the football calendar, Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal suggested a summer competition could go ahead despite the heat.

'I honestly don't know. Certainly, we are studying both options to see which is the best option to organize the World Cup.”

Asked if it would be possible to play in the expected heats – which could reach temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius – he added: 'Hopefully we can find out. We will certainly work to ensure that this is the best World Cup ever. '

'Why not see what the possibilities are to do it in the summer? Whether it's summer or winter, it doesn't matter to us, as long as we make sure we do that [deliver] the right atmosphere to organize such an event.'

The summer months in Saudi Arabia regularly experience heat above 40 degrees Celsius, and sometimes even up to 50 degrees Celsius.

The Saudi Pro League is effectively avoiding walking around this time around, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jnr and Co even regularly playing at night to further reduce the risk of health issues due to the weather.

The last World Cup, in nearby Qatar, was of course staged in winter and ran until mid-December, although this raised further questions about player burnout.

The concept of stadium air conditioning has been adopted in Qatar, although it remains to be seen whether this will bring further environmental problems or whether this is a route Saudi Arabia will want to take in eleven years' time.

Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal suggested that a summer competition could still go ahead

Yasser al-Misehal hinted that Saudi Arabia could look at 'new technologies' to help with cooling

However, it appears that this is the case, judging by the words of Yasser al-Misehal, president of the Saudi Football Federation, who last month suggested looking at methods not previously used by Qatar.

“Nowadays there are many new technologies that help you cool or add air conditioners in stadiums, in addition to the fact that there are many cities in the kingdom that enjoy a very nice atmosphere in summer.”

Despite the confidence of the figures involved in the attempt to organize the tournament, the 2034 World Cup remains a problematic one.

Should the tournament go ahead in winter instead, it would still raise eyebrows given the increase in injuries to players due to the increase in the number of matches played, especially with plans to phase out competitions such as the Club World Cup to expand.