The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) officially confirmed today, Wednesday, that Saudi Arabia has won the bid to host the 2034 World Cup finals.

The Kingdom’s hosting of the most prominent event in the world of football and sports in general was confirmed during the extraordinary FIFA Congress, which was held online on today, December 11, 2024.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a speech during Congress, “Today is witnessing a historic moment, and let us make history together... We can confirm that the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup will be Saudi Arabia.”

Unanimous ratification

The FIFA Congress unanimously approved a unified decision regarding the host countries for the 2030 and 2036 World Cups, where votes were taken in favor of the two files as a single package and not on each file alone.

Because there were no competitors, and as was expected, Saudi Arabia obtained the right to host the 2034 World Cup, while the 2030 World Cup will be held on three continents, namely Africa, Europe, and South America, with Spain, Portugal, and Morocco organizing most of the matches, and one match will be held in Uruguay each. Argentina and Paraguay.

Highest rating in history

The vote in the extraordinary FIFA Congress was considered only formal, after the Saudi file received the highest rating in the history of hosting the global event.

On November 29, 2024, FIFA announced that the Kingdom’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup had received a rating of 419.8 out of 500, which is the highest technical rating given by the International Federation in history to a bid submitted to host the World Cup, as a new Saudi achievement that embodies the pioneering role and qualitative shift. And the exceptional nature that the Kingdom is experiencing.

The official delegation of the International Federation conducted its inspection tour during the month of October to find out the details of the Kingdom’s candidacy to host the World Football Forum, where it visited the cities hosting the tournament, the sports projects and facilities included in the hosting file, and was informed of the comprehensive plans and all future preparations for the Kingdom to host the world football event. With 48 teams in one country for the first time in history.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had announced, through the Saudi Football Federation, its intention to nominate to host the 2034 World Cup on October 4, 2023, as the only country in the nomination race.

On July 29, 2024, Saudi Arabia officially submitted the candidacy file to host the 2034 World Cup in the French capital, Paris, through an official delegation headed by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, Minister of Sports.