It’s official now. Saudi Arabia was announced at today’s Extraordinary FIFA Congress as the sole venue for the 2034 World Cup, which will take over from Spain (and the rest of the hosts) in 2030.
The Congress, made up of the 211 members of FIFA, designated Saudi “by acclamation” as the appropriate country for a World Cup that promises to be “historic”, as they assure us from the Middle East. It will already be historic for being the first World Cup with 48 teams based in a single country, since 2030 will be multi-site. It will also be historic due to the modernity and architectural complexity of its 15 stadiums.
The official candidacy, under the motto ‘Growing together’, came with the absolute support of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia and leader of the historic transformation that Saudi Arabia is experiencing through sport. A candidacy that, yes, received the official protest of the Norwegian Federation, contrary to this Saudi designation. Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, included this protest in his official speech today and commented that he would give an official response at the time.
The stadium located in the artificial city of the same name will be built 350 meters above the ground, in what will be one of the architectural jewels of the 2034 Saudi World Cup.
The 2034 World Cup will have five host cities: Riyadh (the capital), Jeddah, Khobar, Abha and NEOM, an acronym for New Future, the name of the new city and economic-technological area that Saudi Arabia is building in the northwest of the country, opposite the Sinai Peninsula.
The stadiums of the 2034 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia plans 15 stadiums across the Saudi Kingdom, all state-of-the-art, 11 of which will be brand new. Riyadh, the capital, will host eight, including the new King Salman Stadium, with capacity for more than 92,000 spectators and which will host the opening and final matches of the tournament, also becoming the new home of the Saudi national team. It will be completed in 2029.
“We are ready to welcome you. We are growing a lot and for us anything is possible if we work hard,” said a young couple who were in charge of presenting the Saudi candidacy to Congress. “We love hosting,” the 13-year-olds said.
