FIFA has officially chosen Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. This will be the second time a Middle Eastern country hosts the tournament, following Qatar in 2022.
The decision was made during an extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting on Wednesday. FIFA President Gianni Infantino also confirmed that the 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, with celebratory matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to honor the tournament’s 100-year history.
The 2030 World Cup will be unique, taking place across six countries and three continents. Uruguay, which hosted the first-ever World Cup in 1930, will hold a special opening game, alongside Argentina and Paraguay. While Spain and Argentina have hosted before, this will be the first time Morocco, Portugal, and Paraguay welcome the tournament.
For the 2034 World Cup, Saudi Arabia will host the first-ever 48-team tournament in a single country. Matches will take place in 15 stadiums across five cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and Neom. Riyadh’s new King Salman Stadium, which will hold 92,000 spectators, is expected to host the opening and final games.
Saudi Arabia’s bid was approved unanimously, with no competing bids. Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal al Saud, the Saudi Sports Minister, expressed pride in the decision, promising an “extraordinary World Cup” in the kingdom.
FIFA’s move to expand the tournament and take it to new regions reflects its goal of bringing football to more countries while maintaining the quality of the competition, Infantino said.
