Hani Abu Rida, President of the Egyptian Football Association, formally requested that Cairo be allowed to host some matches of the 2034 World Cup. Speaking at the extraordinary general assembly meeting of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday, 12 March, Abu Rida expressed his confidence in Saudi Arabia’s ability to successfully organize the World Cup. This comes after the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) awarded Saudi Arabia the rights to host the tournament, a decision announced in December, after Saudi Arabia achieved a bidding score of 419.8 out of 500, the highest technical evaluation in the history of the World Cup. He emphasized the significance of this event and praised FIFA’ President Gianni Infantino for his contributions to global football, particularly in ensuring that Africa benefits from these developments. Abu Rida highlighted Egypt’s historical connection to the World Cup, noting that while Egypt was invited to the inaugural tournament in 1930, circumstances such as logistical issues and financial constraints prevented its participation. However, Egypt made its mark in the 1934 World Cup as the first country from outside Europe and America to take part. Reflecting on this…
