On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, FIFA announced that Saudi Arabia had been awarded the right to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup™, during an extraordinary general assembly meeting held virtually today.
The Kingdom’s hosting of the largest edition of the World Cup
and will be the first host nation in history to host the expanded edition of the World Cup, which will feature 48 national teams playing in five host cities, following FIFA’s earlier approval of the tournament’s new format.
The Kingdom officially submitted its bid to host this edition of the World Cup finals last July, under the slogan “Together We Grow,” in which it unveiled its ambitious plans to host this most important tournament in the world of soccer by hosting World Cup matches in 15 stadiums spread across five host cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Khobar, Abha, and Neom, in addition to ten other host venues across the Kingdom.
By hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup™, the Kingdom aims to provide exceptional experiences for players and fans from around the world, offering outstanding facilities and accommodation options that meet the diverse needs of visitors, while prioritizing the sustainability of the projects and environmental conservation. An advanced transportation network will also be available, enabling fans to reach the stadiums quickly and easily, in addition to streamlined travel procedures, to ensure a comfortable and exceptional experience for visitors.
Delivering an exceptional and unprecedented World Cup experience
Following its official announcement to the international community as the host country for the 2034 World Cup, the Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to delivering an exceptional and unprecedented experience for the world’s largest sporting event, thereby contributing to human development, building human capacity, and building bridges of communication between the world’s cultures, while taking into account environmental impact and sustainability factors, and maximizing the sporting and national legacy of hosting the event. Hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup™ represents a significant opportunity to highlight the progress the Kingdom has made since the launch of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s —may God protect him—of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in 2016, alongside ongoing achievements in the sports sector, including hosting numerous global sporting events such as Formula 1, Formula E, and the Dakar Rally, as well as the Spanish Super Cup and the Italian Super Cup, and other diverse sporting events, which have resulted in significant growth in the tourism sector, with the number of domestic and international tourists exceeding 100 million in 2023.
For his part, His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, extended his sincere congratulations and best wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister—may God protect them both—as well as to the Saudi people in general, and sports fans and soccer enthusiasts in particular, on the occasion of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia winning the right to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup™, during the extraordinary session of the FIFA Congress, which was held virtually today, Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
On this occasion, His Highness said: “My deepest thanks and gratitude go to His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques—may God support him—and to His Highness the Crown Prince—may God protect him— for their continued support of the sports sector and the empowerment granted to the Kingdom’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup, which contributed to achieving this historic and distinguished success of hosting this global event, embodying the leading position it holds globally.”
His Highness added: “The international soccer community’s confidence in the Kingdom’s bid, and its well-deserved victory, marks a historic moment and a milestone from which Saudi sports will launch toward new horizons of success and excellence. This moment also represents the culmination of the aspirations of the noble Saudi people and their determination, which they draw from their wise leadership —may God preserve them—to contribute to the development of sports around the world in general, and soccer in particular, by organizing an exceptional and unprecedented edition of the tournament, which will help build a better future for soccer for both players and fans.”
His Highness concluded his statement by saying: “The Kingdom’s winning of the right to host this global football event is one of the fruits of the significant progress and development witnessed by the sports sector at all levels, amid unprecedented support from the leadership of this great nation, in line with the sports objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which have contributed to exceptional qualitative leaps that have been reflected in the local community, sports, and the Kingdom’s economy alike.”.
