Saudi Arabia to Host 2034 FIFA World Cup
FIFA officially announced Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup during a virtual meeting of the Extraordinary FIFA Congress 2024 on Wednesday. FIFA President Giovanni Infantino made the announcement.
The 2030 World Cup was also confirmed to be hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay hosting special celebratory matches.
Saudi Arabia will be the first country to host the World Cup in its new format with 48 participating teams, an increase from 32 teams in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The 2026 World Cup will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, while the 2030 edition will span six countries.
This announcement is a major milestone for Saudi Arabia, highlighting its growing role as a global sports hub, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.
Saudi Arabia submitted its bid on October 4, 2023, and FIFA awarded it the highest technical score ever for a World Cup bid: 419.8 out of 500.