Saudi Arabia has submitted its declaration of intent to apply for the 2034 World Cup to the world association FIFA. The national association SAFF announced this on Monday.
“This is the second step in a hugely exciting journey the nation is embarking on. Last week we announced our ambitions to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup and with this official submission we continue our journey of turning our people’s dreams into reality association boss Yasser Al Misehal was quoted as saying.
World Cup 2023 on three continents
Only on Wednesday did the FIFA Council announce that the 2030 World Cup would begin with three games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay and then be played in Morocco, Spain and Portugal. The decision still needs to be confirmed by the FIFA Congress. At the same time, FIFA announced that only representatives from Asia and Oceania should apply for the 2034 World Cup in accordance with the rotation principle, which was seen as a clear signal to Saudi Arabia.
According to a SAFF announcement, 70 FIFA member associations have already supported the application. Associations can register their interest in applying by October 31, 2023. Final applications must be submitted to FIFA in July 2024.
Apart from Saudi Arabia, no other country has yet announced an application for 2034. However, the kingdom is heavily criticized for violations of human rights. Saudi Arabia is accused of wanting to burnish its image by investing billions of dollars in sport. Just this summer, numerous soccer stars moved to the Saudi league for extremely high salaries. Saudi Arabia originally wanted to host the 2030 World Cup.