- The Kingdom appeared to be in pole position as the 2030 hosts were confirmed
- The Saudi offer is expected to have the support of federations in Asia and Africa
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast “It’s all Nicking Off!”
Saudi Arabia has taken the next step in its bid to host the 2034 World Cup and submitted a letter of intent to FIFA on Monday.
The kingdom first announced its intentions to host the historic competition after being told by the sport’s governing body that only bidders from Asia or Oceania would be considered for 2034.
In the same announcement, FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed the host of the 2030 centenary replay, and the decision to split hosting duties between six different countries.
Spain, Morocco and Portugal will be the main hosts of the tournament, but in honor of the special anniversary, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will all host the opening matches.
The Saudis – whose investment in football and the development of their Pro League over the past 12 months has been astronomical – were initially tipped to bid for the 2030 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia share letter of intent with FIFA as they bolster their 2034 World Cup bid
Your browser does not support iframes.
That bid included Greece, Egypt and Saudi Arabia co-hosting the tournament, but the plans were shelved and Saudia is aiming to be the sole host in 2034.
But Mail Sport reported that the state’s offer was only a ‘done deal’, with the nation moving at the pace to secure football competition.
“Last week we announced our ambitions to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup and this official submission continues our journey to make our people’s dreams come true,” said Yasser Al Misehal, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). ). statement on Monday.
“We are extremely committed to submitting the most competitive bid possible that will also help bring the world together through football.”
FIFA is looking to move quickly in determining the 2034 host: official interest must be expressed by October 31 and a signed bidding agreement must be submitted by November 30.
FIFA members will then have the opportunity to seal the 2030 and 2034 hosts in late 2024.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (centre right, Qatar 2022 World Cup) has close ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (far right)
The federation claims that ‘over 70 FIFA member associations from all over the different continents have publicly pledged their support for the Kingdom’.
Saudi Arabia’s bid received support over the weekend from Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, the president of the Asian Football Confederation, who said “the entire Asian football family will stand united in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s important initiative”.
A number of big-name players who feature in the Saudi Pro League – including England’s Jordan Henderson – also took to social media to support the bid announcement.
Henderson shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) in which he said he was ‘so excited’, before adding: ‘Go Saudi Arabia 2034!’
(tagsTranslate) daily mail(s) sport(s) football(s) Saudi Arabia Football(s) FIFA(s) Asia(s) Saudi Arabia