Saudi Arabia expected to host an upcoming FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup sure looks like it’s heading to Saudi Arabia.

Today, Australia ended its attempt at hosting the 2034 edition of the global soccer tournament, as per multiple reports.

While the decision isn’t official, Saudi Arabia is the only country left in the running to host the tournament, with a Tuesday deadline to declare interest. Barring a last-minute change, it looks like the World Cup will be heading to the Middle East for the second time in its history after Qatar hosted the most recent edition of the tournament in 2022.

Saudi Arabia has heavily invested in a variety of pro sports over the last decade, with its domestic soccer league attracting top stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., and Karim Benzema away from European clubs.

However, the country and its government have been under extreme scrutiny by the international community for its human rights abuses, such as the use of torture, a lack of free speech, gender, and sex-based orientation, as per Amnesty International.

Saudi Arabia is the second FIFA World Cup to have its host revealed this month.

The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be primarily hosted in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, though the tournament’s first three games will take place in South America in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, respectively, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay.

The 2026 edition of the World Cup, meanwhile, will be competed across venues in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Canada featured in its first World Cup on the men’s side since 1986 last year and has automatically qualified for the 2026 edition due to being a host. However, if it’s looking to make the three-continent extravaganza in 2030, Canada will have to go through a yet-to-be-announced qualifying process, similar to how it qualified in 2022.

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