FIFA gives Saudi Arabia's bid to host 2034 World Cup the highest rating in tournament history

2024-11-30 2024-11-30T09:21:20Z

Arab Weather - The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's file to host the 2034 World Cup received a rating of 419.8 out of 500, which is the highest technical rating ever given by the International Federation to any file submitted to host the tournament. This rating is a new Saudi achievement that reflects the pioneering role played by the Kingdom in various fields, including sports, in accordance with the visions and goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Announcement of technical evaluation in preparation for selecting host countries

The announcement of the technical evaluation of the 2030 and 2034 World Cup files came as a prelude to selecting the host countries for the two tournaments through the General Assembly of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), scheduled to be held on December 11.

The Kingdom’s bid to host the World Cup has received great attention and support from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God support him - and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister - may God protect him - which has contributed to strengthening international confidence in the Saudi bid.

As part of following up on the candidacy file, an official delegation from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) conducted an inspection tour of the Kingdom last October to review the details of the hosting preparations. The visit included the hosting cities and sports projects included in the file, where the comprehensive plans and preparations that will secure hosting the tournament with the participation of 48 teams for the first time in the history of the World Cup were identified.

Thanks and appreciation from the Minister of Sports

On this occasion, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, expressed his deep thanks and gratitude to the wise leadership for its unlimited support that contributed to achieving this historic accomplishment, noting that this success reflects the fruitful cooperation between all sectors in the country, as well as the energies of the Saudi citizen in presenting an honorable image of the Kingdom.

Confirmation from the President of the Saudi Football Federation

For his part, the President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al-Misehal, stressed that the Kingdom’s achievement of this rating is a result of the wise leadership’s interest and generous support, which has contributed to the comprehensive sports renaissance. He added that the Kingdom is committed to providing an exceptional experience for all participants in the tournament, whether teams or fans.

Head of the Bid File Unit, Hamad Al-Balawi, pointed out that the Saudi file includes five host cities with distinctive cultural and urban diversity, in addition to ten other sites that will enhance the teams’ experience through training camps and modern sports facilities. He also pointed out the importance of creating ideal conditions to facilitate movement between different cities.

Saudi Arabia has met FIFA 's requirements for organizing the 2034 World Cup with distinction, after receiving a rating of 419.8 out of 500 today, the highest rating for a file submitted in the history of hosting the World Cup pic.twitter.com/M43QcF4ZOD

— Saudi Projects (@SaudiProject) November 30, 2024

2034 World Cup Hosting Strategy

The Kingdom officially submitted its candidacy file to host the 2034 World Cup last July under the slogan “Together We Grow”, as it presented ambitious plans to host the tournament in 15 stadiums distributed across five cities, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Khobar, Abha, and Neom, in addition to ten other hosting sites.

Hosting the 2034 World Cup represents a great opportunity for the Kingdom to highlight its ongoing development journey, which has seen it host many major global events such as the Club World Cup and Formula 1. This step contributes to achieving sporting goals and building a sporting legacy that enhances the Kingdom’s position in the world.