Saudi Arabia will host 2034 FIFA World Cup: in which months will it be played?

Australia has joined Indonesia in declaring it will ultimately not be bidding to host the 2034 World Cup, clearing the way for the tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia for the first time ever, which has been confirmed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. World soccer’s governing body had restricted hosting eligibility to Asia or Oceania for the event and the Gulf state was the only country to submit a bid.

FIFA had set a deadline of Tuesday 31 October for nations to officially declare their interest in hosting the 2034 World Cup, with Saudi Arabia first to do so after withdrawing their bid for the 2030 edition, which will be played mainly in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, although three matches will take place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

No competition for Saudi World Cup 2034 bid

It appeared as if the Saudis would face competition from Australia, who had been tipped to either go it alone, or team up with New Zealand and/or Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. The latter two Asian countries had also been mentioned in connection with a rumoured bid from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Thailand and Vietnam, amongst others.

However, none of the other bids have ultimately materialised, with Football Australia revealing their intentions just hours before the deadline in a statement: “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.” Later on Tuesday, Infantino confirmed the tournament would be held on Saudi soil.

“The GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH will be organised by Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026 - in North America. The next two editions of the FIFA World Cup are set to be hosted in Africa (Morocco) and Europe (Portugal and Spain) - with three celebratory matches played in South America (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) - in 2030 and in Asia (Saudi Arabia) in 2034. Three editions, five continents and ten countries involved in staging matches in the tournament - that’s making football truly global!” wrote the FIFA president on Instagram.

Saudi Arabia 2034: a repeat of Qatar 2022?

The question of when the World Cup should be played will now once again be raised. As with Qatar, the intense heat in Saudi Arabia in summer will almost certainly see the competition moved to winter, which would cause significant disruption to domestic seasons in many countries around the world, especially in Europe. FIFA strayed away from its “normal” international calendar last year and may have to do so once again in 2034, which will not go down well.

Australia shift focus to 2029 Club World Cup

Australia has, however, revealed its interest in hosting the 2026 AFC Asian Women’s Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco are also likely to come into consideration for the latter event, which they could organise as a prelude to the 2030 World Cup.

While not a written rule, FIFA has often gone down the route of giving World Cup hosts a dress rehearsal. This was the case with the Confederations Cup from 2001 until 2017, while the “new” Club World Cup will be be held for the first time in 2025 in the United States, one of three hosts of the 2030 World Cup (with Mexico and Canada).