ZURICH: Saudi Arabia is in line to host the 2034 World Cup after FIFA announced on Tuesday that the kingdom was the only bidder for the tournament.

The decision, to be ratified officially at the end of the year providing all of the technical criteria are met, came after Australia decided against bidding for the 2034 men’s football World Cup, paving the way for Saudi Arabia to host the event.

Football Australia pulled its bid on the Oct 31 deadline, after the Asian Football Confederation threw its weight behind Saudi Arabia.

“We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the FIFA World Cup and — having taken all factors into consideration — we reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” Football Australia said in a statement.

FIFA had invited bids from the Asia and Oceania regions for the rotating World Cup hosting rights after naming Morocco, Spain and Portugal as joint hosts for 2030.

There had been talk of a joint bid from Indonesia and Australia for 2034, but the former recently said it supported the Saudi bid.

Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup is the latest step in a campaign to turn the kingdom into a global sports powerhouse.

Neighbouring Qatar last year hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Australia is now eyeing the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.

“Achieving this — following the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 and with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games — would represent a truly golden decade for Australian football,” Football Australia said.

Saudi Arabia, which has invested heavily in football as well as Formula One and golf, is set to take over from an unprecedented tricontinental line-up for the 2030 event.

The Sport & Rights Alliance and Amnesty International say FIFA needs to secure clear and binding commitments to improve human rights in countries likely to host the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cup tournaments to prevent serious potential abuses.

“With only a single bid for each tournament on the table, FIFA may have scored an own goal,” Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice said in a statement.”

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2023