Saudi Arabia chosen as the host for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA Men’s World Cup for the first time in 2034, following an announcement made at the Extraordinary FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday, December 11. The Gulf nation was awarded the tournament by acclamation.
FIFA also confirmed the hosts for the 2030 World Cup, which will span six countries across three continents. Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will serve as the main hosts for the centenary event, while the opening matches will be held in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
The 2034 World Cup marks the second time the tournament will take place in the Middle East, following Qatar’s hosting in 2022. Saudi Arabia’s proposal includes hosting matches in 15 stadiums across five cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Abha, and the futuristic city of NEOM.
The Green Falcons, Saudi Arabia’s national team, have participated in the last two World Cups but failed to progress beyond the group stage. However, they made headlines at Qatar 2022 by defeating eventual champions Argentina. Saudi Arabia’s best performance came during their World Cup debut in 1994, where they reached the round of 16.
