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The World Cup will return to the Middle East after Fifa confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. Morocco, Spain and Portugal were awarded joint hosting rights for the 2030 tournament.
The decision was announced after a vote during a virtual Fifa Congress. It was only a formality, however, as neither bids had any rivals.
More than 100,000 asylum applications from Syrians are pending in the 27 European Council member states, according to figures released by the European Union asylum agency, EUAA.
The report comes as several European countries have announced that they are suspending Syrian asylum applications after the fall of the Assad regime.
The leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said the group is ready to work with international partners to protect historic sites in Syria from ISIS attacks. The statement comes as anxiety lingers among communities in Syria targeted by ISIS in the past.
![A damaged car and a damaged building are seen at the site of a strike in Bartalla in the northern Iraqi Nineveh province on July 29, 2026. US-Saudi strikes on Iraq on July 29 killed at least 20 members of a former paramilitary alliance that includes pro-Iran groups, the alliance said. The United States and Saudi Arabia said they had struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP) / Attention editors: AFP covers the war in the Middle East through its extensive regional network, including bureaus in Tehran, Jerusalem and several neighboring countries. Since the start of the conflict, journalists have been working under increasingly restrictive conditions. Authorities in several countries have limited reporters’ movements, photo and live video coverage from sensitive locations. Some governments and armed groups have banned images of missile or drone strikes and other security-related sites. / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Ziad OBEID has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: corrects byline [Zaid AL-OBEIDI] instead of [Ziad OBEID]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. ”](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/PLSC2TSQZTFNYGSCPBJVUPIB2I.jpg?smart=true&auth=b0d3bd2d2b21bfcd8f9d5a89db763ef91727ee31e46f2bd5651027a66d97a8f5&width=188&height=104)
