Summary

The 2034 FIFA World Cup is the 25th edition of the men's football World Cup, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia after FIFA formally confirmed it as host on 11 December 2024 following an uncontested bidding process. ¹ It will be the third tournament held in Asia after South Korea and Japan in 2002 and Qatar in 2022, the third in the Arab world after Qatar in 2022 and Morocco in 2030, and the first since 2022 hosted by a single nation. ¹

How it was chosen

The bidding process opened on 4 October 2023; FIFA restricted hosting to the Asian and Oceania confederations after spreading the 2030 tournament across three continents, and its president Gianni Infantino announced on 31 October 2023 that Saudi Arabia was the sole bidder. ¹ On 11 December 2024 an Extraordinary FIFA Congress confirmed the hosting by acclamation. ¹ An investigation by the New York Times described Infantino's role in paving the way for the selection and the shortening of the bidding window to 25 days, which observers criticised; the museum records the criticism as attributed. ¹

Venues and dates

The bid book of July 2024 proposed fifteen stadiums, ten of them new, in Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Abha and NEOM; by October 2026, owing to budget constraints at the Public Investment Fund, the plan was cut to ten stadiums in four cities, among them the King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh with more than 92,000 seats and the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. ¹ The dates are not announced; because of the climate the tournament is expected in the cooler months, as Qatar's was in November and December 2022, and reports of October 2025 said it could move to January 2035 because of Ramadan, with Infantino saying he was open to considering it. ¹

The debate

Upcoming

The tournament is scheduled for 2034 with its dates to be announced, and stadium works are under way; the article notes that the October 2026 attacks on Saudi airports raised security and logistical concerns without FIFA changing its plans. ¹

References

English Wikipedia article on the 2034 FIFA World Cup, revision of 3 November 2026. ¹

Opinions on the question

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame) · Sunni position (the museum's frame)Main reference

the host's position as the sources report it: FIFA and Saudi Arabia present the tournament as a huge opportunity for investment, and the Saudi ambassador in London, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, said in February 2025 that no alcohol would be sold during the tournament, including at hotels; Saudi authorities denied reports that the ban would be eased. ¹

More opinions (1)

Academic and rights view viewSecondary opinion

Amnesty International called in November 2024 for the bidding to be halted on human-rights grounds; eleven rights organisations criticised the Clifford Chance assessment; African trade unions filed a complaint with the United Nations about migrant workers; two United States senators urged FIFA not to award the tournament; the first migrant-worker death, a Pakistani worker at the Aramco Stadium in Khobar, was reported in March 2025, and Human Rights Watch and FairSquare reported worker deaths in May 2025. Several European federations backed the hosting or stayed silent, and the Danish federation said it was optimistic that conditions would improve under Vision 2030. ¹

2034 FIFA World Cup

At a glance

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Footprint

Summary

How it was chosen

Venues and dates

The debate

Upcoming

References

Opinions on the question

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame) · Sunni position (the museum's frame)Main reference

Academic and rights view viewSecondary opinion

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