After Australia announced that it would not bid to host the 2034 World Cup, Saudi Arabia has been chosen to host the event.
Following FIFA’s announcement that only bids from Asia and Oceania would be considered for 2034, the Kingdom delivered a letter of intent to FIFA earlier this month.
Following the departure of Football Australia, 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 interested in hosting the 2034 World Cup must express formal interest by October 31 and submit a signed bidding agreement by November 30.
FIFA members will then have the opportunity in late 2024 to approve the 2034 hosts.
Saudi Arabia was expected to bid for the 2030 World Cup. That bid called for Greece, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia to co-host the event, but those plans were scrapped, and Saudi Arabia now aims to be the only host in 2034.