Kolkata : After historic FIFA World Cup 2022 conquered by Argentina, Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 edition.
As per Associated Press, Saudi Arabia is aiming to host all 104 games, though other speculations say that some games could be played in neighbouring countries.
This report further says that Saudi Arabia proposed 15 stadiums — 8 still on paper — in 5 cities: 8 in the capital Riyadh, 4 in the Red Sea port city Jeddah, and one each in Abha, Al Khobar and Neom, the planned futuristic mega-project. Each would have at least 40,000 seats for World Cup games.
Both opening game and final of 2034 will have Stadiums with seating capacity of 92000.
In Neom, the stadium is planned 350 meters (yards) above street level and one near Riyadh is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff with a retractable wall of LED screens.
The dates of the tournament are not yet confirmed but just like 2022 edition, it might be held in November-December period when it’s the winter season. Rest of the year it remains incredibly hot. Moreover, the slot for 2034 is also complicated due to the month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh will also be hosting the multi-sport Asian Games.
Apart from 2034, the 2030 edition, which marks 100 years anniversary of FIFA World Cup, will be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal, Spain. The initial matches will be in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to mark the 100 years anniversary.
FIFA announced in Social Media, “Introducing the hosts for the next two editions of the @FIFAWorldCup! Morocco, Portugal and Spain will host in 2030, with centenary celebration matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Four years later, Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup 2034”.
