Saudi Arabia set sights on 2034 FIFA spectacle

Article posted by Coliseum, October 6^th, 2023

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Saudi Arabia announced on October 4^th it will bid to host the 2034 World Cup just minutes after the world soccer’s governing body FIFA invited countries from the Asia and Oceania regions to submit bids.

‘REUTERS’ stated that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation sent out a statement which read, “Led by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the bid for 2034 intends to deliver a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation and the country’s deep-rooted passion for football. Saudi Arabia’s inaugural FIFA World Cup™ bid is backed by the country’s growing experience of hosting world-class football events and its ongoing plans to welcome fans across the world to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup™ and 2027 AFC Asian Cup.”

The Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) is the international governing body of association football, beach soccer and futsal. It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, its membership now comprises 211 national associations.

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The 2034 FIFA World Cup™ will be the 25^th FIFA World Cup™, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men’s national teams of the member-associations of FIFA.

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)-based the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is the football governing body of Saudi Arabia. Founded in 1956, its responsibilities include administration of club competitions and the national teams. The founder of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is Prince Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud.

The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup™ will be the 20^th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup™, a FIFA-organized international club football tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations as well as the host nation’s league champions. The tournament will be played in Saudi Arabia from December 12^th-22^nd, 2023.

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19^th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men’s football championship of Asia organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament involves 24 national teams after the expansion in 2019. It will be held in Saudi Arabia and is scheduled to be held in January 2027.

Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, (Malaysia)-based the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach football and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia. It has 47 members.

‘REUTERS’ further stated that the Saudi announcement came shortly after FIFA named Morocco, Spain and Portugal as hosts of the 2030 World Cup with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay hosting the opening matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.

After FIFA said that the 2034 World Cup will be held in the Asia or Oceania region, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa welcomed the decision – “We strongly believe it paves the way for a more equitable opportunity for all confederations to bid for, and host, the prestigious FIFA World Cup – the pinnacle of world men’s football.”

The 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams, will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

A number of top footballers such as Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese footballer), Neymar (Brazilian footballer) and Karim Benzema (French footballer) have recently signed big-money deals with the Saudi Pro League clubs.

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)-based the Saudi Pro League, known as the Roshn Saudi League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of association football in the Saudi league system. The first season of competition was the 1976-1977 seasons.

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