Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on Monday, July 29, endorsed the Kingdom’s bid to host the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2034.
The endorsement comes following the conclusion of the bid’s detailed requirements ahead of the bid book submission to FIFA in the French capital, Paris.
The bid is set to be submitted by a delegation headed by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal Al Saud and Yasser Al Misehal, alongside two children from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), youth regional training centers, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The participation of the two children came as part of an initiative by the SAFF, symbolizing the ambition of Saudi Arabia’s young generation to host the world’s greatest football event.
Bin Faisal expressed his gratitude to King Salman Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their support and interest in this sector.
“With this candidacy, we intend to host the exceptional edition that brings together 48 teams for the first time in the history of the tournament in one country”, said Bin Faisal.
In a related context, FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised the “wonderful” steps taken by Saudi Arabia to develop football.
This came in a post on Instagram on Sunday, July 28, after his meeting with Saudi Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal and President of the Saudi Football Federation Yasser Al-Misehal in Paris.
Infantino wrote, “I had the pleasure of meeting the Minister of Sports of the Kingdom, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, and the President of the Saudi Football Federation, Yasser Al-Misehal, in Paris on the sidelines of the 2024 Olympic Games.”
“Saudi Arabia is a very important partner for FIFA and plays an important role in the development of football. They organised the outstanding and successful 2023 Club World Cup and have taken great steps to develop women’s football, which I saw first-hand while attending a Saudi Women’s Premier League match between Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad last December.”
He added, “It is always encouraging to see football bring people together, and I wish the Saudi delegation a successful Olympics.”
In October 2023, the Kingdom announced its intention to host the tournament and later sent the official nomination letter to the FIFA.
In March this year, the Saudi Football Federation announced the official identity for the Kingdom’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup, which bears the slogan “Growing Together.”
