Wednesday’s announcement by Saudi Arabia that it will submit a bid to host the 2034 World Cup is the next move in a strategy to establish the country as a worldwide sports superpower.
According to a statement from the Saudi Arabian football association, the bid “intends to deliver a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from the country’s deep-rooted passion for football and the ongoing social and economic transformation of Saudi Arabia.”
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According to a report by the Vanguard, the news of the bid comes one year after neighbouring Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East, where the Saudi national team stunned the world with a group stage defeat of eventual winners Argentina
On the heels of that tournament, Saudi Arabia signed Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the Saudi Pro League, the first in a slew of major stars drawn by eye-watering salaries to the world’s biggest crude oil exporter.
Sport is a major component of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, which aims to transform Saudi Arabia into a tourism and business hub while transitioning the economy away from fossil fuels.
In the coming weeks, the kingdom is set to host the final LIV Golf League tournament of the regular season, a boxing match featuring Anthony Joshua and the Next Gen ATP Finals tennis tournament.
It will also host the FIFA Club World Cup in December.
Earlier this year Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of football’s 2027 Asian Cup.
And last year Saudi Arabia won hosting rights for the 2029 Asian Winter Games, a 47-event competition to be held in Trojena, an area of the $500 billion futuristic megacity known as NEOM.
