Saudi Arabia appears to be the leading contender to host the 2034 World Cup after Australia confirmed it would not make a bid for the tournament. FIFA had invited bids from Asia and Oceania, setting an October 31 deadline for submissions.
Australia’s football governing body, Football Australia (FA), had initially explored the possibility of bidding for the 2034 World Cup. However, on Tuesday, FA announced that it would instead focus on bids for hosting the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup.
With Australia no longer in the running, Saudi Arabia stands as the sole confirmed bidder for the 2034 World Cup. Saudi Arabia had declared its intention to bid only minutes after FIFA issued the invitation for bids from Asia and Oceania.
The decision not to bid for the 2034 tournament by Australia, which had previously hosted a successful Women’s World Cup, leaves Saudi Arabia in a favorable position to potentially host the event.
The 2030 World Cup was awarded to a joint bid by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, with additional centenary games set to be held in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
Human rights organizations, including the Sport & Rights Alliance and Amnesty International, have called on FIFA to ensure that clear and binding commitments are made to address human rights concerns in countries likely to host the 2030 and 2034 World Cup tournaments. These organizations emphasize the need to prevent potential human rights abuses in host nations.
Steve Cockburn, Head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International, stated, “FIFA must now make clear how it expects hosts to comply with its human rights policies. Additionally, it must be ready to end the bidding process if significant concerns to human rights are not adequately addressed.”
This situation highlights the role of FIFA in promoting human rights and ethical practices in the selection of host countries for major international sports events.
