The host country (of the three tournaments) was decided through the FIFA Council, which includes all six continental federations." Asia, mentioned by Infantino, means Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the only candidate to host the remaining 2034 World Cup, with Australia ending its willingness to host it. 안전놀이터
Initially, the 2034 World Cup bid was expected to be a "two-way battle" between Saudi Arabia and Australia and Indonesia, which announced their intention to co-host the event. However, Indonesia declared its support for Saudi Arabia on the 18th of last month, and Australia also announced on the previous day that it would not host the tournament. In order to apply for the World Cup, 14 stadiums that can accommodate more than 40,000 people are required, and at least four must be existing stadiums. Saudi Arabia has already secured more than four stadiums to host the 2027 Asian Cup, while Australia and Indonesia lacked soccer infrastructure. The Australian Football Association said on its website the previous day, "After reviewing all issues, we decided not to host the 2034 tournament."
The 2026 World Cup will be held in North and Central America, and the 2030 tournament will be held in Africa and Europe (co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal). The 2030 competition will also be held in South America. According to the custom of "regional arrangement," the candidates for the 2034 competition have been narrowed down to Oceania and Asia. The deadline for submitting a letter of intent to host the 2034 World Cup proposed by FIFA is the 30th of this month, but Saudi Arabia has become a relaxed "winner" as it remains the only country with de facto intent to host the World Cup. FIFA is expected to officially announce Saudi Arabia as the host country of the 2034 tournament after the 30th of this month. FIFA has put its power on the Saudi side since early on.
"Football will become a real global sport as five continents and 10 countries participate in the opening of the World Cup over three tournaments," Infantino said. "Football is a sport that unites the world more than any other sport." "In this increasingly divided and aggressive world, soccer, a global sport, shows unity unmatched by any sport. The World Cup offers a special opportunity to have a good influence," he added.
The hosting of Saudi Arabia has been virtually confirmed, and the World Cup will be held again in the Middle East in 12 years. It is the third time in Asia. The Saudi competition is likely to be held between November and December to avoid the hot heat of the Middle East. There is a precedent. It is the 2022 Qatar World Cup. At that time, it was held in November, and it was held as the first-ever Winter World Cup. There was also confusion in that it was the first World Cup held during the European season, but as the Qatar World Cup was successfully completed, there is no big problem.
The hosting of the Saudi World Cup will be confirmed, and human rights issues are expected to come under fire once again. In addition to women's human rights issues, suspicions that stadium construction workers work in an inhumane working environment emerged as a big issue at the Qatar Games. The same is true of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has recently been criticized for actively using sports to overcome such problems. Saudi Arabia has been actively investing in soccer recently following golf, with top European stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema playing in Saudi professional football. Amnesty, an international human rights organization, told the Guardian in the UK, "The International Football Federation should clarify how the host country will comply with human rights policies and prepare to stop the bidding process if serious human rights threats are not resolved."