Saudi Arabia humbled by 'massive support' for 2034 World Cup bid

The faith and trust expressed from the football family motivates us even more to hopefully host this iconic tournament, says Yasser Al Misehal

Salem Al Dawsari of Saudi Arabia, front, celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal in their 2-1 victory against Argentina during the 2022 World Cup at the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday, November 22, 2022. EPA

Saudi Arabia celebrate their second goal by Salem Al Dawsari against Argentina at the Lusail Stadium. AFP

Saudi Arabia's Salem Al Dawsari after scoring his side's second goal. AP

Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during the match against Saudi Arabia. Getty

Saudi Arabia's Saleh Al Shehri, left, celebrates after scoring the equaliser against Argentina. AFP

Crowd attendance is shown on a giant screen at the Lusail Stadium. Getty

Saudi Arabia's goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais saves a shot from Argentina. AP

Saudi Arabia's Nawaf Al Abid fights for the ball with Argentina's Enzo Fernandez. Reuters

Saleh Al Shehri, right, scores his team's opening goal. EPA

Angel Di Maria of Argentina looked stunned. Getty

Lionel Messi after scoring the first goal. AFP

Saudi Arabia Football Federation president Yasser Al Misehal said he was humbled by the “massive support” shown by other countries as the kingdom emerged as the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup after Australia opted out of hosting the tournament.

Football Australia announced hours before Fifa’s deadline on Tuesday that it would not be submitting a bid.

Football's world governing body had already said the tournament would be held in Asia or Oceania, while Saudi Arabia had garnered immediate support from the Asian Football Confederation.

Al Misehal said: “This moment marks the next phase in Saudi Arabia’s ambition to host the 2034 World Cup.

“We are humbled by the massive support from over 125 Fifa member associations across the world since submitting our official letter of intent a few weeks ago.

“The faith and trust expressed publicly so far from the football family motivates us even more to hopefully host this iconic tournament 11 years from now, for the benefit of all.

“Driven by a huge passion for the game by our young nation, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is fully committed to meeting and exceeding the bid’s requirements.

“Every single member of our football family is putting their full effort to achieving our nation’s dream of one day hosting a World Cup on home soil. Saudi 2034 is our open invitation to the world to experience our rich football culture, enjoy an unforgettable event and all that our country has to offer.

“We truly believe in the power of football to inspire future generations. We are committed to ensuring that a 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia helps grow the game across different corners of the globe and inspire future generations. Being awarded the right to host the tournament would be an honour and privilege.”

A World Cup in Saudi Arabia, which may not be confirmed until a Fifa Congress late next year, will almost certainly mean another winter edition, as with last year’s tournament in Qatar, due to the extreme heat during the region’s summer.

A Fifa statement said the governing body “will conduct a targeted dialogue” with bidders to ensure it meets the minimum hosting requirements approved by the Fifa Council.

“This dialogue will focus on the defined priority areas of the event vision and key metrics, infrastructure, services, commercial, and sustainability and human rights.”

Saudi Minister of Sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said in a statement via the Saudi Press Agency: “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.

“As an emerging and welcoming home for all sports, we believe that hosting a FIFA World Cup is a natural next step in our football journey.”

After announcing it was dropping out of the race to host the 2034 global finals, Football Australia CEO James Johnson said: “The reality is I don’t like to throw darts at a dartboard. When we weigh up these decisions, I like to bet on sure things. I realised we could have a shot but I think at the end the outcome was not going to be favourable to Australia.

“Saudi is a strong bid. They’ve got a lot of resources. They’re disrupting European club football at the moment. Their government are prioritising investment in football and I think that’s difficult to compete with.”

With the 2026 finals heading to the United States, Canada and Mexico and the 2030 finals to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, including some matches in South America – subject to approval by Fifa’s congress – only bids from the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation were being considered.

Saudi Arabia confirmed on October 4 that it would bid for the showpiece tournament in 2034.

Eddie Howe, manager of Saudi-backed Newcastle United, was asked about the prospect of a Saudi Arabian World Cup at a press conference on Tuesday.

“Our trips out there to Riyadh and Jeddah were two different experiences,” Howe said. “Wherever we went was really well organised and we were well looked after. If that’s a sign of what a World Cup there might look like then you can rest assured that everything will be structurally really good.”