World Cup 2034 set to be held in Saudi Arabia as their only rivals Australia pull out of the bidding

Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup after Australia announced it would not bid to host the tournament.

Earlier this month, the Kingdom presented a letter of intent to FIFA after football’s governing body announced that only bidders from Asia and Oceania would be considered for 2034.

Following the news of Football Australia’s withdrawal, Saudi Arabia is unlikely to face any competition.

‘We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the FIFA World Cup and – having taken all factors into consideration – we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,’ Football Australia said in a statement.

‘Instead, we believe we are in a strong position to host the oldest women’s international competition in the world, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, and then welcome the greatest teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.’

Countries hoping to host the 2034 World Cup must express formal interest by October 31 and a signed bidding agreement must be tabled by November 30.

FIFA members will then have the opportunity to rubber-stamp the 2034 hosts in late 2024. 

Saudi Arabia was initially tipped to bid for the 2030 World Cup. That bid involved Greece, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia co-hosting the tournament, but plans were dropped, and Saudi are aiming to be the sole host in 2034.