Saudi Arabia has been announced as the host of the 2034 World Cup.
Fabrizio Romano was one of several well-known journalists who shared the announcement on X (formerly Twitter). Spain, Portugal and Morocco will share hosting duties for the centenary edition of the tournament in 2030.
?? OFFICIAL: Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/QDT0E0JsoK
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 11, 2024
?? OFFICIAL: Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the centenary edition of the World Cup in 2030.
Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will also be ‘hosts of the centenary’. pic.twitter.com/MZcXry94ZR
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 11, 2024
Voting was conducted by “acclamation”, meaning applause, rather than a formal count of positions by the FIFA Congress. A process that has understandably attracted some criticism from commentators, not least because of Saudi Arabia’s decidedly poor human rights record.
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“I leave it to football fans around the world to decide for themselves what they think of this process.” Kaveh Solhekol he spoke to Sky Sports.
“I’m not going to tell you what to think. But football fans around the world – what do you think when you see these images? When you see World Cups being given to countries based on people standing up and clapping and we do we see these images on the screen?
“And then go to a team of scrutineers who give the thumbs up to say, ‘Yes, everything is in order.’ Nothing to see here. The 2030 World Cup, Spain, Portugal, Morocco. 2023, Saudi Arabia.
LATEST: FIFA has confirmed that the 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, while the 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco with the first three matches in South America? pic.twitter.com/h7awfqKS2F
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 11, 2024
However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino promised the World Cup would remain “perfect”. showcase for message unity and inclusiveness’. The entire statement given that the nation is still informed, according to Amnesty Internationaltreats with total contempt the rights of citizens to freedom of association and expression.
Another winter World Cup on the horizon for the Premier League?
Controversy and speculation aside, Premier League clubs will have bigger fish to fry in terms of the potential impact on the 2033/34 campaign.
The season in question, far in the future, looks almost certain to be affected by a likely winter edition of the tournament.
A precedent set by the World Cup in Qatar (which ran from November 20, 20221 to December 18, 2022) could yet be followed in light of potentially unsettling summer temperatures in Saudi Arabia. The Climate change knowledge portal states that summer temperatures in the nation average between 27°C and 43°C (inland areas) and 27°C and 38°C (coastal areas).
In this case, this could be quite disruptive for club competitions, not to mention new concerns for player welfare ahead of the 2033/34 season.
