FIFA get their way with 2034 World Cup hosts after Australia pulls out of bid

Australia's Football Federation said it had "explored the opportunity" of a bid but ultimately chose not to pursue it, Saudi Arabia as the No.1 choice to host the tournament

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International Football

Rob Freeman, PA

Shane Ireland

10:54, 31 OCT 2023

Australia has opted against a bid to host the 2034 World Cup leaving Saudi Arabia as the sole bidder (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

FIFA's preferred choice of Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup as Australia, the only rival, has decided not to bid.

Football Australia stated that they had "explored the opportunity" of a bid but ultimately chose not to pursue it, leaving Saudi Arabia as the sole bidder for the tournament in 11 years' time. Despite this, Australian football chiefs are still eager to host more major tournaments in their country.

They believe they are in a strong position to host the Women's Asian Cup in 2026 and then the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, following the success of this year's Women's World Cup. However, their hopes were dashed when the Asian Football Confederation decided to support the Saudi bid for 2034.

The Australian FA said in a statement: "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.

They added: "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.

"Achieving this - following the Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 and with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games - would represent a truly golden decade for Australian football."

Saudi Arabia expressed its interest in hosting the 2034 World Cup just hours after FIFA detailed the bidding process. With the 2026 tournament set to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and Spain, Portugal and Morocco likely contenders for 2030, only bids from Asia and Oceania will be considered for 2034.

The country's Minister of Sport, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, announced on October 4: "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." He added, "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."

In mid-October, Saudi Arabian Football Federation general secretary Ibrahim Alkassim said: "Winning the bid is our biggest match, and we will put all our efforts to try and win the bid and to successfully host the World Cup in Saudi Arabia. They (other nations) all believe in our bid, they all witnessed the growth of the game that happened in Saudi Arabia, they all believe in us on how we can serve as a force for good in football.

"FIFA's vision is to make football global, and as a member of FIFA, we at the Saudi Arabian Football Association have to serve towards that vision. We want to contribute to grow the game around the world. It's not only for Saudi, it's for the whole word.

"We are talking 11 years from now. It's a long journey ... If we go back to 2016, when the country launched the Vision 2030, seven years later you can see the huge progress that happened here in Saudi Arabia. So, imagine what could happen in the next 11 years."