By Ayomide Otitoju
FIFA is set to announce on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, while a joint bid from Morocco, Spain, and Portugal has been awarded the 2030 tournament, which will also include matches in South America. The decision will be finalized during a FIFA Congress held virtually, where voting is expected to confirm both bids without competition.
In deciding on the 2034 host, FIFA adhered to its policy of rotating the World Cup across continents, allowing bids only from Asia or Oceania. The upcoming 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams for the first time, is scheduled to take place across North America.
Controversially, FIFA provided potential bidders with only a month last year to submit proposals, prompting Australia and Indonesia to withdraw their interest, leaving Saudi Arabia as the sole candidate. This development paves the way for the World Cup to return to the Gulf region just two years after Qatar hosted the tournament in 2022.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been leveraging sports to enhance Saudi Arabia’s global image and influence, although critics argue that this amounts to “sportswashing” intended to distract from the country’s human rights record. Saudi Arabia has already hosted a variety of high-profile international sporting events, including a Formula One Grand Prix and heavyweight boxing matches.
However, hosting the 2034 World Cup presents logistical challenges; Saudi Arabia currently has only two stadiums with a capacity of 40,000, while 14 are required for the event. Moreover, the extreme summer temperatures in the northern hemisphere may necessitate rescheduling the tournament to later in the year, similar to adjustments made for the 2022 event in Qatar. The overlap with Ramadan in December adds further complexity to planning.
The awarding of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia is likely to reignite discussions around human rights issues, which came to prominence during Qatar’s hosting. Rights groups have raised concerns over mass executions, allegations of torture, restrictions on women’s rights, and the suppression of free expression in the kingdom.
For the 2030 tournament, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, a unique bid has been approved that spans three different continental confederations. FIFA confirmed over a year ago that the joint proposal from Morocco, Spain, and Portugal was the sole candidate, with all other potential bids being dropped.
Earlier candidates, including a British and Irish bid, were abandoned in favor of hosting Euro 2028, while discussions of a bid involving South Korea, China, Japan, and North Korea did not materialize. Four South American countries launched a joint bid in 2019, believing that the centenary World Cup should be held on the continent where it began.
Despite an earlier plan that included Ukraine as a show of solidarity in light of the Russian invasion, the country was removed from the candidacy, allowing Morocco to partner with Spain and Portugal. South America will host three games, with one match each in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina.
Following these “centenary celebrations” in the southern hemisphere’s winter, the tournament will transition to Europe, concluding with the final on July 21. Spain is expected to play a central role, with 11 of the proposed 20 stadiums located within the country. Potential venues for the final include the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, the Camp Nou in Barcelona, nearing the completion of renovations, and the Hassan II stadium between Casablanca and Rabat, which aims to become the world’s largest stadium with a capacity of 115,000.
In addition, Portugal will contribute two stadiums in Lisbon and one in Porto, with hopes of hosting a semi-final match.
