The official announcement of the winning bid is expected during the FIFA General Assembly meeting in December.
FIFA publicized earlier this week the details of Saudi Arabia’s bold bid to host the largest-ever FIFA World Cup in 2034, just two days after the official submission of the candidacy in Paris, France.
Saudi Arabia’s official bid, “Growing Together,” for the 2034 World Cup envisions hosting the tournament across five major cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and Neom.
The plan includes 15 cutting-edge stadiums and 11 entirely new constructions.
The Saudi bid proposes 132 training facilities across 15 host cities for team preparations, catering to 48 teams and their support staff.
The bid also features 72 dedicated training stadiums within specialized training villages for referees and ten unique locations across the host cities for the FIFA Fan Festival. FIFA plans to select one site per city.
All eyes on Saudi Arabia
In an Instagram post on Sunday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Saudi Arabia’s progress in football development.
He made the remarks after meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sport, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal and the President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al Misehal, in Paris during the ongoing 2024 Olympic Games.
“Saudi Arabia is a very important partner for FIFA and is playing an important role in football development,” Infantino posted.
Infantino also said that Saudi Arabia has “have taken great steps to grow women’s football, which I saw first-hand while attending a Saudi Women’s Premier League game between Al Ahli and Al Ittihad last December.”
In October last year, Saudi Arabia emerged as the sole bidder for the men’s 2034 FIFA World Cup after the Australian Football Federation withdrew from the bidding process.
Due to FIFA rules, only Asia or Oceania could bid for the 2034 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia is also set to host the men’s Asian Cup in 2027, and a massive construction plan has been implemented to ensure the country qualifies for FIFA’s bidding documents, which state that 14 stadiums are needed for the 48-team tournament.
Qatar, the 2022 FIFA host, has also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s desire to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the hope of the State of Qatar that the Saudi endeavours will culminate with winning the right to host this major international football event,” a Qatari foreign ministry statement read in October.
