Tournament takes place in Saudi Arabia
FIFA is considering rescheduling the World Cup because of Ramadan
October 9, 2025 – 5:29 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2034 – but possibly not until 2035. And in addition to the weather, religion also plays a role in scheduling.
As was the case in Qatar in 2022, the 2034 World Cup with Saudi Arabia as host could also take place in the European winter months – possibly even at the beginning of 2035. “Of course we have to look at the calendar, optimize it and see how we can find competition formats that perhaps better meet the new requirements of the calendar,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino told media representatives on the sidelines of the European General Assembly Club Association ECA in Rome. The AP news agency, among others, quoted the Swiss.
Since the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan falls in November and December in 2034, FIFA is expected to postpone the World Cup finals to the beginning of 2035, reported the portal “The Athletic”. In Saudi Arabia, Islam is the official state religion.
“The world keeps turning and we must always try to improve,” said Infantino, referring to possible heat waves in June and July. World and European Championships usually take place in these two months. In 2022, the World Cup was postponed to November and December due to the extremely hot summer months in Qatar.