FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup after being the only nation to finalise a bid.
Australia previously confirmed they would not submit a bid to host the tournament, with FIFA later revealing that the proposal from Saudi Arabia was the only one on the table.
Now, Infantino has taken to social media to confirm Saudi Arabia as hosts in 2034.
“The bidding processes were approved by consensus via the FIFA Council – where all six confederations are represented – after constructive dialogue and extensive consultation,” he wrote. “Thank you to everyone who has participated in this positive exchange.
“Football unites the world like no other sport, and the FIFA World Cup is the perfect showcase for a message of unity and inclusion, as well as providing an important illustration of how different cultures can be together and can learn and better understand one another.
“As we live in an increasingly divided and aggressive world, we show once again that football, the leading global sport, unites like nothing else. We all need these occasions of unity and the upcoming FIFA World Cups provide a unique force for good in this respect.”
The 2026 iteration of the tournament will be played across North America, with Canada, Mexico and the United States set to share hosting duties.
Four years later and fans will experience perhaps the most unique hosting in World Cup history. Morocco, Portugal and Spain have been put in charge of the tournament but three celebratory matches will be played in South America. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each be given one game.
“Three editions, five continents and ten countries involved in staging matches in the tournament – that’s making football truly global!” Infantino added.