Saudi Arabia has formally launched its bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, with the Gulf nation being the only candidate in the race.
The slogan of the bid is “Growing. Together” and the logo of the campaign is two multi-colored ribbons forming the number 34.
The bid comes two years after neighbouring Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East.
The logo “is designed to capture the essence of Saudi Arabia’s young nation, vibrant society and rich heritage,” the federation said.
FIFA is expected to rubber-stamp Saudi Arabia as host in an uncontested vote by the governing body’s 211 member federations before the end of 2024. A date and venue for the vote has not been announced.
“This campaign is powered by the hopes and dreams of 32 million people in Saudi Arabia,” the head of the SAFF bid unit, Hammad Albalawi, said in a statement.
“Our responsibility is to submit the best possible bid to FIFA, make our country proud, and fulfil the trust placed upon us by more than 130 Member Associations across the world who supported our bid.”
Saudi look to follow in Qatar’s footsteps
Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, which aims to position Saudi Arabia as a tourism, business and sports hub, the kingdom has invested heavily in sport.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced a “multi-year strategic partnership” with the ATP, the governing body of men’s tennis.
Now they have turned their attention to the most popular sport in the world. Last year Saudi Pro League saw an influx of big name players from Europe and more are expected to follow in the summer.
Saudi Arabia could become the second gulf nation after Qatar to host the FIFA World Cup. Qatar’s tournament saw Argentina beat France in a penalty shoot-out in the final to win the World Cup, in what has been described as one of the best editions of the tournament to date.
Saudi will hope to replicate the success of Qatar World Cup in 2034.
The bid launch gave no new details of host cities and stadiums for the 48-team tournament expected to be held in November-December 2034.
Sherjeel Malik is the editor at FanHaat with a writing experience in multiple sports. He oversees the editorial and content coverage at FanHaat and writes often around combat sports, football and other marquee sports. A professional highlight of his career was when WWE’s Paul Heyman shared one of his articles on his social media.
Apart from writing, editing and watching sports, he likes to indulge in reading fiction, watching war documentaries and is a fan of Liverpool FC
