Saudi Arabia has initiated its campaign to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034, with the bid likely to succeed owing to the absence of any other expression of interest before the deadline that the global governing body for the sport had set last year.
Morocco, Portugal, and Spain are co-hosting the competition in 2030, whereas FIFA had limited the 2034 edition for bidders from the Asian and Oceania confederations. Saudi Arabia will thus become the second middle-eastern country to host the quadrennial competition, since Qatar in 2022.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has committed to its collective growth, with the World Cup campaign showing the way the nation has forged stronger ties with other countries through the help of sport.
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Lately, the Saudis have made investments in football, Formula 1, boxing, and golf, with critics accusing them of "sportswashing" their human rights record. However, they have played down those accusations and insist that they continue to safeguard their national security with the help of law.
"Telling our football story to the world is of massive importance. We've made unprecedented progress in both the men's and women's game, and our bid is an open invitation to the world to join us on this exciting journey," SAFF President Yasser Al Misehal said in a statement.
Next up, Saudi Arabia will be submitting their full bid documents to FIFA in July. Further, the hosts for both the 2030 and 2034 editions of the competition will be finalised in the FIFA Congress at the end of the year.
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