Australia chose on Tuesday not to bid for the 2034 men’s football World Cup. This means that Saudi Arabia will be able to host the event.
It was October 31 when Football Australia pulled its bid. This was because the Asian Football Confederation backed Saudi Arabia, which is now the clear choice to host the event.
“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 stated in a statement.
After picking Morocco, Spain, and Portugal as joint hosts for 2030, FIFA has asked countries in Asia and Oceania to bid for the right to host the World Cup every four years.
Australia and Indonesia were rumoured to be going to bid together for 2034, but Indonesia recently said it would back the Saudi plan.
Saudi Arabia wants to host the 2034 World Cup. This is the latest step in a plan to make the country a world leader in sports.
Across from The first World Cup in the Middle East was held in Qatar last year.
Australia now wants to play in the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup 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 stated.
This year, the Women’s World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand together. The tournament was generally seen as a success.