Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 Men’s FIFA World Cup after its bid, which faced no opposition, was approved by FIFA’s Congress during a virtual meeting on Wednesday, 11 December.
The Congress also officially confirmed Spain, Portugal, and Morocco as co-hosts for the 2030 World Cup, which will include matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to celebrate the tournament’s centenary.
Saudi Arabia faced no competition for the hosting of the 2034 World Cup, as no other nation entered the bidding race. The process began in October 2023, with countries given just a month to declare their interest. Australia, the only potential competitor, chose not to submit a bid, leaving Saudi Arabia’s proposal uncontested.
FIFA’s rotational bidding rules specified that only countries from Asia and Oceania were eligible to bid for the 2034 World Cup. This decision followed the 2030 tournament, which will be hosted across three continents—Europe, Africa, and South America—while the 2026 World Cup will be jointly held by Canada, Mexico, and the USA, excluding North and Central America from consideration.
Despite significant human rights concerns, Saudi Arabia received an unprecedented evaluation score of 4.2 out of 5, a record-high evaluation score.
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