FIFA has confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. This long-awaited announcement was made during the FIFA Congress on Wednesday, December 11, marking a major milestone in the Kingdom’s ambitious sporting vision and making it the second Middle Eastern country to host football’s premier event.
Meanwhile, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal are set to host the 2030 men’s World Cup, alongside Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
FIFA 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia intends to hold the first-ever 48-team World Cup to be played in one nation, with matches planned across 15 stadiums in five host cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Abha, and NEOM, as detailed on the official bid website.
The highlight of the tournament will be Riyadh’s King Salman Stadium, designed to accommodate 92,000 spectators, and will host both the opening and final matches.
The bold proposal includes building or renovating 11 stadiums and promises 185,000 new hotel rooms, positioning the event as a key element of the Kingdom’s Saudi Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy.
The World Cup is the pinnacle of Saudi Arabia’s rapid rise as a global sporting powerhouse. Through its sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Kingdom has made substantial investments in various sports.
