The World Cup will return to the Middle East after Fifa officially confirmed on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia will host the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/07/29/crown-prince-mohammed-endorses-saudi-arabias-bid-to-host-2034-fifa-world-cup/" target="_blank">2034 World Cup</a>, while Morocco, Spain and Portugal were awarded joint hosting rights for the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2023/10/05/fifa-world-cup-2030-host-country/" target="_blank">2030 tournament</a>. The decision was announced after a vote during an extraordinary Fifa Congress which was held virtually, but it was a mere formality as neither bids had any rivals. For the 2034 finals, Fifa had declared its intention to rotate the showpiece event between continents, which meant it welcomed bids only from Asia or Oceania as the expanded <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/02/16/fifa-world-cup-2026-venues-capacity-schedule-usa-mexico-canada/" target="_blank">2026 World Cup </a>is scheduled to place across North America. Once other contenders like Australia and Indonesia withdrew their interest, Saudi Arabia emerged as the lone candidate and winners of the bid by default. Thus, the Fifa World Cup will return to the Gulf region after Qatar successfully hosted the 2022 edition. Meanwhile, Morocco - which has tried and failed on five previous occasions to be awarded the staging of the tournament - became the second African nation to host the competition after South Africa in 2010. The 2030 tournament will mark a century since the first World Cup was held in Uruguay, and as a result the joint bid by Morocco, Spain and Portugal will also see the South American nation handed one game along with Argentina and Paraguay. The decision was announced by Fifa president Gianni Infantino following the Congress that was held virtually. "We are bringing football to more countries and the number of teams has not diluted the quality. It actually enhanced the opportunity," Infantino said about the 2030 World Cup. "What better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary in 2030 than to have the World Cup in six countries, in three continents, with 48 teams and 104 epic matches. The world will stand still and will celebrate the 100 years of the World Cup. "Congratulations to all the bidders for putting up a great dossier, but I would like to put on record my big, big thank you to the six confederation presidents and to their teams." “The vote of the congress is loud and clear,” Infantino added after the hosting rights were officially approved. Uruguay held the first World Cup in 1930, while Argentina and Spain have also staged the tournament. Portugal, Paraguay and Morocco will all be first-time hosts, alongside Saudi Arabia. Fifa had earlier announced the possibility of having the 2034 World Cup during the winter months owing to the extreme temperatures in the traditional summer months of finals. In 2022, Qatar had hosted the first winter World Cup, which saw a break in the regular club season that allowed the finals to be played in November and December. Following the winning bid, Crown Prince <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/mohammed-bin-salman/" target="_blank">Mohammed bin Salman</a> highlighted "the kingdom’s great determination to contribute effectively to developing the game of football around the world, and spreading messages of love, peace and tolerance, armed with its great capabilities and potential, in addition to the energies of the people of the kingdom and their high spirits to overcome difficulties, one of the fruits of which was winning the bid to host the 2034 World Cup officially". Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal added: "FIFA Congress, allow me first of all to hand out my thanks to the trust that you have conveyed into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "It is a day that we invited the entire world to Saudi Arabia. We intend to have an extraordinary version of the World Cup held in our kingdom." Following the announcement, the Football Association explained its support for 2030 and 2034 bids. "Both bids are technically strong and meet the FIFA criteria to host the men's World Cup," it stated. "Our focus is on ensuring that all our fans can attend and enjoy tournaments. The FA board met the Saudi Arabian Football Federation last month to discuss their bid in more detail. "They assured us that they are fully committed to providing a safe and welcome environment for all fans. Football is a global game and is for everyone. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion means being respectful of all, including all religions and cultures. "We also believe that hosting World Cups can be a catalyst for positive change, which is best delivered by working collaboratively in partnership with host nations." Last month, Saudi Arabia unveiled design plans for a grand 92,000-capacity <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/11/19/saudi-arabia-king-salman-stadium-world-cup/" target="_blank">King Salman Stadium </a>in Riyadh, which will stage the opening match and the final of the 2034 tournament. The Saudi sports ministry unveiled its designs with the stadium scheduled to be completed in 2029.
