Fifa World Cup 2034: Saudi Arabia formally declares intent to host

Saudi Arabia formally informed Fifa of its wish to host the men’s World Cup in 2034 on Monday in a bidding contest, where it increasingly looks like the Kingdom will win.

The Saudi Arabian soccer federation said it “submitted a letter of intent and signed declaration to Fifa to bid” in a vote that is open only to members of the Asian and Oceania soccer governing bodies.

Fifa fast-tracked starting the 2034 contest last week after its ruling body also agreed to accept only one candidate for the 2030 World Cup — now an unprecedented six-nation, three-continent co-hosting plan in Europe, Africa and South America that removed those continents from bidding to get back-to-back tournaments.

The Spain-Portugal-Morocco-Argentina-Paraguay-Uruguay project in 2030 will follow the inaugural 48-team, 104-game tournament in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. That allows the 2034 edition to return to Asia 12 years after Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup.

Last week, Fifa set tight deadlines of October 31 to formally express interest in hosting and November 30 to return a signed bidding agreement that requires the support of national governments.

Australian soccer officials have shown interest in the 2034 tournament after successfully co-hosting the 32-team women’s edition with New Zealand two months ago, but they now have only eight weeks to produce a bidding agreement.

Australia also may be short of the Fifa-demanded seven existing stadiums on a minimum slate of 14 soccer-suitable venues of at least 40,000-seating capacity.

Saudi Arabia, which is preparing to host the 2027 Asian Cup, meets that FIFA criteria.

The Saudi Arabian soccer federation also cited public pledges of support from “over 70” of FIFA’s 211 member federations.

The aim is “unlocking new football opportunities at all levels and commitment to support the growth of the game across all corners of the globe,” said the Saudi federation, which has been signing working agreements with national and continental soccer bodies around the world over the past two years.

Fifa members will have the final rubber-stamping decision on picking the 2030 and 2034 World Cup hosts late next year, though the 37-member FIFA Council chaired by president Gianni Infantino has already shaped the process.

• Saudi Arabia to bid for 2034 football World Cup