Africa expected to make Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid fruitful

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Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has ended their joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup with Egypt and Greece and has submitted a request to host the 2034 edition singlehandedly. African FAs are expected to back the bid, among others.

Here is a statement submitted by Saudi Arabia’s football federation: ‘Led by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the bid for 2034 intends to deliver a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation and the country’s deep-rooted passion for football.

‘Saudi Arabia’s inaugural FIFA World Cup bid is backed by the country’s growing experience of hosting world-class football events and its ongoing plans to welcome fans across the world to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup.’

Each bidder or group of bidders needs the support of member countries to win bids, and CAF and AFC have given the global community reasons to think they would support the bid. This means that Saudi Arabia stands an unchallenged chance of winning during the voting process.

AFC and CAF contain 101 of the 211 members of FIFA. While speaking on the development, a reliable source said, ‘A Saudi World Cup in 2034 isn’t just likely; it’s basically a done deal. Money has talked again, and the event will be worth billions in new cash for FIFA.’

Following Saudi Arabia’s loss of the three-nation bid to host the 2030 edition of the World Cup, since Morocco, Spain, and Portugal won the bid, they later disclosed their intention to solely host the 2034 World Cup.

Many think Australia would feel bad about the development because of the amount of backing the Arabian nation will likely receive during the voting process. It also seems that all other nations willing to bid might decide to wait for another turn.

In 2030, a match is expected to be played in each of the following countries, while Morocco, Spain, and Portugal are to host the other matches: Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. The latter countries will host only the first contests.

FIFA’s announcement forbids any country, not either in Asia or Oceania, from hosting the 2034 World Cup, as a way of giving every section of the habitable globe an equal opportunity to make bids and win.

Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa spoke in favour of the plan shortly later: ‘We strongly believe it paves the way for a more equitable opportunity for all confederations to bid for and host the prestigious FIFA World Cup—the pinnacle of world men’s football.’

Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, has this to say about the Gulf Kingdom’s dream to host the 2034 World Cup all by themselves: ‘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.’

Western news outlets have attacked Saudi Arabia for their adamancy about accepting the United Nations’ views on sexuality and human rights. A Manchester United player who was a supporter of LGBTQ rights and went to play in the Kingdom underwent heavy backlash. The kingdom’s laws seem not to pose a threat to their bid, however.

The United States, Canada and Mexico will host the 2026 World Cup.