FIFA has confirmed Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. The anticipated announcement came during the FIFA Congress on Wednesday, December 11 and represents a significant milestone in the Kingdom’s ambitious sporting vision and make it the second Middle Eastern nation to stage football’s showpiece event. Meanwhile, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal are set to host the men’s 2030 World Cup, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. FIFA 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia plans to stage the first 48-team World Cup to be held in a single country, proposing matches across 15 stadiums in five host cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Abha, and NEOM, according to the official website for the bid. The centrepiece of the tournament will be Riyadh’s planned King Salman Stadium, with a 92,000-person capacity, slated to host both opening and final matches. The ambitious proposal includes the construction or renovation of 11 stadiums and promises 185,000 new hotel rooms, positioning the tournament as a showcase for the Kingdom’s Saudi Vision 2030 economic diversification programme. The World Cup represents the crown jewel in Saudi Arabia’s rapid emergence as a global sporting powerhouse. Through its sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Kingdom has made significant investments […]