The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has set a deadline of October 31 for Australia and other potential Asian countries, to decide whether to bid for the 2034 men’s World Cup.
On Wednesday, October 4, FIFA announced that only bids from the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation would be considered for the 2034 finals.
Within minutes of FIFA announcing a tight deadline, Saudi Arabia announced its intention to host the World Cup while receiving the support of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa welcomed the announcement saying, “The entire Asian football family will stand united in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s momentous initiative.”
As per a report by Reuters, Football Australia is currently exploring a bid to host the 2034 World Cup, according to Chief Executive James Johnson.
“As stated previously, Football Australia is exploring the possibility of bidding for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and/or the FIFA World Cup 2034,” he said in a statement. “We are encouraged that after the hugely successful FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023, the football family of Asia and Oceania will once again have the opportunity to showcase their ability to welcome the world and host the best FIFA tournaments.”
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation said it “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”.
In a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, “The intention to host comes as an affirmation of the clear and great efforts made by the Kingdom in spreading messages of peace and love in the world, of which sports is one of the most important and prominent aspects, as it is an important means for peoples of different races and cultures to meet.”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, the Saudi Sports Minister, said that hosting the tournament would be a dream come true.
“Hosting a FIFA World Cup in 2034 would help us achieve our dream of becoming a leading nation in world sport and would mark a significant milestone in the country’s transformation,” he said.
