How Saudi Arabia won the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid

Image credit: Shutterstock / Alizada Studios

On December 11, 2024, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) received confirmation that it would host the FIFA World Cup in 2034.

FIFA’s three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup meant that only soccer federations in Asia and Oceania were eligible to bid for the 2034 outing—with Australia declining participation, the KSA was the only bidder.

The 2034 event marks the pinnacle of the nation’s sporting commitments as laid out within its National Vision 2030, which will have concluded in the year of the preceding tournament.

Interestingly enough, that tournament will be a six-host spectacle, comprising Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, completed by Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, each hosting one of the 104 games.

All in the timing

Returning to 2034, given that the holy month of Ramadan runs through mid-December of 2034 and that Riyadh also hosts the in 2034, January 2034 may be the optimum timing. International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has a deal in place for Saudi Arabia to host the new Esports Olympics, has stated that January would not clash with the Salt Lake Winter Games kicking off on February 10, 2034.

Few football fans anywhere would complain at an early start to the excitement, after all.

Netting national priorities

Vision 2030 makes much of economic diversification and the establishment of a smart society.

And yet underpinning that objective is the fostering of an educated, skilled, and above all, healthy citizenry free of the familiar health issues of decades of sedentary living

Therefore, since assuming power in 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has placed huge emphasis on public health and the enjoyment of sports in their widest iterations.

The nation continues to host events of international prestige in motorsports, golf, and many other disciplines to boot.

Yet football, or soccer, garners the greatest global audience.

The numbers reveal that the final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between France and Argentina attracted a record audience of 1.42 billion people.

The event in 2034, then, will cement the Kingdom as a sporting hub on par with any other nation.

It could also help tick off three key objectives of National Vision 2030, namely advancing from the world’s 19th largest economy to the top 15 by boosting foreign direct investment from 3.8% to 5.7% of GDP and raising non-oil state revenue from around USD43 billion to USD266 billion.

Remarkable stadiums announced

The KSA famously does nothing by halves, and with funding scarcely an issue, we can expect to witness some spectacular venues erected for the 2034 kickabout.

At the club level, of course, we have already seen the USD900 billion Sovereign Wealth Fund-owned local teams invest in fan favorites like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema, and Sadio Mané.

The KSA’s Public Investment Fund, overseen by the Sovereign Wealth Fund, has earmarked tens of billions of dollars for the big event, featuring 11 new stadiums.

One of those—with a 46,000 capacity— is envisaged to be constructed 350 meters above ground level in the unfolding new city of Neom.

In keeping with the Kingdom’s green commitments, the Neom stadium is reported to be 100% powered by renewable wind and solar energy.

High-speed lifts and a fleet of driverless vehicles will access the facility. Among the other venues (totaling 15, including existing facilities in five cities), eight will be in Riyadh, showcased by the new 92,000-capacity King Salman Stadium, the stage for the tournament opener and final.

The remainder will be staged in the cities of Jeddah, Al Khobar, and Abha.

FIFA and the KSA seemingly concur that hosting the global event a decade from today can have a catalytic effect on social change in the Kingdom.