Clear the way for Saudi Arabia: Australia foregoes the 2034 World Cup

2023-10-31 09:04:00

“We have examined the possibility of bidding to host the FIFA World Cup and, after considering all factors, have concluded not to do so for the 2034 competition,” the Australian Football Association said in a statement. The deadline for an expression of interest to the world association FIFA expires this Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, which has brought world football stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo into its own league and wants to gain an international reputation as a host in many other sports, has already made its intentions clear and is considered the clear favorite.

At the beginning of October, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) supported a Saudi application. After there was speculation about a joint application from Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand or from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, Indonesia also expressed its support for Saudi Arabia. As a result, the Australians’ already slim chances fell to zero.

FIFA recently made a fundamental decision to host the 2030 World Cup starting in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay and later in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, which still needs to be approved by the FIFA Congress. Therefore, only nations from Asia and Oceania can apply for the 2034 tournament. Saudi Arabia announced its intentions almost immediately afterwards. Like the previous World Cup host Qatar, the kingdom is criticized for its human rights situation and sportswashing.

Instead, Australia wants to try to secure hosting rights for the 2029 Club World Cup and the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. Saudi Arabia has also applied for the latter.