December 11, 2024

FIFA confirmed in an official statement on Wednesday after an extraordinary virtual conference that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 men's World Cup, while the 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with both bids approved unanimously.

This decision regarding Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup will make the Kingdom the second country in the Middle East to host the World Cup, after Qatar hosted the 2022 edition in 2023, when it was the first country in the region to host the most famous football tournament.

FIFA had initially indicated that the 2034 World Cup would be held in an Asian region, and Saudi Arabia's bid received strong support from the Asian Football Confederation, while Australia and Indonesia discussed a joint bid, but eventually withdrew.

The bids to host the 2030 and 2034 World Cups were not contested, with no other country submitting competing proposals, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino has stressed that expanding the tournament to include more countries would enhance the experience without compromising the quality of the competition.

However, the Norwegian Football Association has criticised FIFA's bidding process, calling it "flawed and inconsistent", and has announced its intention to vote against awarding World Cup hosting rights by acclamation in the future.

FIFA, for its part, explained that the 2030 World Cup will be unique, as it will be held across three continents and six countries, as Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will host celebratory matches on the occasion of the centenary of the first World Cup, which was held in Uruguay in 1930, while this will be the first time that Portugal, Paraguay and Morocco will host the tournament.