FA to back Saudi Arabia’s bid to host 2034 World Cup

The Football Association will support Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup at an online FIFA Congress on Wednesday afternoon, the PA news agency understands.

The Middle East nation is set to be awarded the finals, having emerged last year as the sole bidder in a controversial process.

Human rights campaigners have warned many people will die in preparing Saudi Arabia to host, but the Saudi bid – along with a joint Morocco, Portugal and Spain bid for 2030 – is expected to have virtually unanimous global support from national associations, including the English FA.

The FA is expected to issue a statement after the Congress explaining its position.

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FIFA combined the decision on 2030 and 2034 into a single vote, and a vote by acclamation could take place instead of each FIFA member country casting a vote in the conventional way.

The Norwegian federation said on Tuesday it would abstain from any vote by acclamation, highlighting what it said was a “flawed” bidding process by FIFA.

The agreement for South America to host the opening games in 2030 – reached in October last year – paved the way for Saudi Arabia to be sole hosts in 2034.

Saudi Arabia confirmed their interest in hosting on the same day the 2030 agreement was made public, with FIFA limiting further expressions of interest to nations from the Asian and Oceania confederations and setting a deadline of less than a month to declare that interest.

Australia, considered the only realistic challengers to Saudi Arabia, confirmed on October 31 last year it would not be bidding.

Saudi Arabia is seen as a key political and strategic ally for Great Britain, a point highlighted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer holding a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in Riyadh earlier this week.