RIYADH — Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) president Yasser Al-Misehal confirmed that Saudi Arabia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 has received unprecedented support from over 140 countries, reflecting the significant confidence of the international community in the Kingdom's ability to host the global event. At a press conference on Wednesday, Al-Misehal noted that Saudi Arabia is experiencing a historic moment as it prepares to host the largest edition of the World Cup ever held in a single country. "There is complete synergy and coordination among all government sectors to ensure the success of our bid to host this global event. We will deliver the best edition in the history of the World Cup on Saudi soil in 2034," he said. Saudi Vision 2030 has driven significant development and opened the doors for the world to see Saudi Arabia, he said, emphasizing that "the World Cup is a grand dream for the entire Saudi community." Al-Misehal pointed out that new sports stadiums will benefit future generations and that the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in the Kingdom will provide an opportunity to test some of these stadiums. He stressed ongoing efforts to prepare a highly capable national team to represent the Kingdom in the 2034 World Cup. Hammad Al-Balawi, head of the bid committee for the 2034 World Cup at SAFF, confirmed that by hosting the World Cup, the Kingdom will be the first country to host the tournament alone in its new format. He indicated that the 10-year journey has already begun and emphasized the unlimited support for the bid from the wise leadership. He said hosting the 2034 World Cup will create numerous job opportunities for the country's sons and daughters. He noted that 80% of Saudis are sports enthusiasts, particularly football fans. Al-Balawi stated that the opening and final matches of the 2034 World Cup will be held in Riyadh, and the farthest distance a fan would travel within the Kingdom is two hours. He also mentioned that a FIFA team will soon visit the host cities as part of the bid evaluation process. The news conference featured a visual presentation of Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup, highlighting the five host cities and 15 world-class stadiums, as well as plans for the railway network connecting various regions of the Kingdom with Gulf countries.
