Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Extraordinary FIFA Congress 2024, which met virtually on Wednesday, announced officially Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup. The Federation Internationale De Football Association (FIFA)President Giovanni Infantino made the announcement during the conference.

The FIFA Congress also confirmed Morocco, Spain and Portugal as hosts of the 2030 World Cup with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay hosting celebratory games.

Saudi Arabia will become the first country in the world hosting the FIFA World Cup in its new format featuring 48 countries, 16 more countries compared to the previous edition of 2022 Qatar World Cup. In the next edition of 2026 World Cup, United States, Canada and Mexico will be the hosts while the 2030 World Cup will be hosted by six countries whereas 2034 World Cup will be hosted by a single country- Saudi Arabia.

The FIFA announcement marks a defining moment in Saudi Arabia's incredible and breathtaking journey to becoming a global sports hub. The World Cup will further solidify the Kingdom's status as a leader in hosting mega sporting events, reflecting the ambitions of Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia announced its intention to bid on October 4, 2023 and a formal letter was sent to FIFA on October 9, 2023. A recent FIFA Bid Evaluation Report awarded the Kingdom’s bid to host the World Cup 2034 a rating of 419.8 out of 500, which is the “highest technical score awarded by FIFA to any bid to host the World Cup in history."