- Australia pulled out of its 2034 World Cup bids on Tuesday
- The decision paves the way for Saudi Arabia to host the tournament
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off!
Saudi Arabia is the clear frontrunner when it comes to hosting the 2034 World Cup, after Australia announced it would not participate in the World Cup.
Earlier this month, the Kingdom presented a letter of intent to FIFA after the football governing body announced that only bidders from Asia and Oceania would be eligible for 2034.
And Saudi Arabia is unlikely to face any competition after Football Australia announced on Tuesday it had decided not to bid to host the tournament.
“We have explored the possibility of submitting a bid to host the Football World Cup and – after considering all factors – have come to the conclusion that we will not do so for the 2034 competition,” Football Australia said in a statement.
“Instead, we believe we are in a strong position to host the world’s oldest international women’s competition, the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and then welcome the best teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. ‘
Saudi Arabia is the clear frontrunner when it comes to hosting the 2034 World Cup after Australia announced it would not participate in the tournament
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Countries wanting to host the 2034 World Cup must formally express interest by October 31 and submit a signed bidding agreement by November 30.
FIFA members will then have the opportunity to put their stamp on the host countries of 2030 and 2034 at the end of 2024.
Saudi Arabia – whose investment in football and the development of their own Pro League has been astronomical over the past 12 months – were initially tipped to make a bid for the 2030 World Cup.
That bid involved Greece, Egypt and Saudi Arabia as co-hosts of the tournament, but plans were scrapped and Saudi Arabia aims to be the sole host in 2034.
As Mail Sport reported earlier this month, the state’s bid was anything but a ‘done deal’, with the nation moving at pace to secure major competition in football.
“We have announced our ambitions to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and this official entry continues our journey to turn our people’s dreams into reality,” Yasser Al Misehal, president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) said in a statement. declaration. the Kingdom has formally submitted its declaration of intent.
“We are extremely committed to presenting the most competitive bid possible that will also help unite the world through football.”
The Saudi FA claims that ‘more than 70 FIFA member associations from different continents have publicly pledged their support to the Kingdom.’
Saudi Arabia’s bid received the support this weekend from Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, the president of the Asian Football Confederation, who said that “the entire Asian football family will be united in support of the momentous initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, while hosting duties for the 2030 tournament will be shared among six different countries.
Spain, Morocco and Portugal will host the main event, but in honor of the special anniversary, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will all host opening matches.