Saudi Arabia has expressed its readiness and willingness to host a 64-team World Cup in 2034, provided that FIFA approves the controversial proposal to expand the tournament from 48 teams.
The 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, will have 48 teams, up from 32 in 2022. Furthermore, the South American football organisation, CONMEBOL, has suggested that the 2030 World Cup be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco with 64 teams, but some other regions did not agree with this idea, according to The Straits Times.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said at the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah that Saudi Arabia would have no problem with increasing the number of teams. He stated, “We’re ready, or we will be ready, inshallah (God willing). If that’s a decision that FIFA takes and thinks that that’s a good decision for everyone, then we’re more than happy to deliver on it.”
Moreover, he emphasised Saudi Arabia’s strong infrastructure for religious pilgrims, mentioning that four million people attended Mecca for Umrah during Ramadan this year and that five million are expected for the Hajj, showing the country’s capability to handle large-scale events.
Saudi Arabia as 2034 host
In December, the global soccer governing body officially announced Saudi Arabia as the host for the 2034 men’s World Cup. Although uncontested, it drew sharp criticism from human rights organisations, who raised concerns over the country’s human rights record, including issues related to freedom of expression, women’s rights, and the treatment of migrant workers. Critics accuse the country of “sportswashing”, or using sports to distract from its human rights record. The government denies these allegations, stating that its laws are in place to protect national security.
Despite the backlash, Saudi Arabia continues to push forward with its plans, using the tournament as part of its broader Vision 2030 initiative to boost its global image. As part of its 2034 World Cup bid, Saudi Arabia pledged to deliver 15 new or renovated stadiums by 2032. As these projects are expected to rely heavily on migrant labour, this has drawn further scrutiny from rights organisations.
With this, Al-Faisal declared that worker safety is a top priority for Saudi Arabia. He said that organisers are in regular contact with FIFA and Qatar, the hosts of the 2022 World Cup, to learn from their experience and improve their standards.
More so, alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia, as it is prohibited for observant Muslims. Al-Faisal confirmed that the 2034 World Cup will follow this rule, meaning the tournament will be alcohol-free.
He admitted, “The law now here in Saudi is that there’s no alcohol. Will that change in the future? We don’t know. But I don’t see it really affecting our sporting events at all… We’ve had more than 100 international events so far. We’ve had people come from all over the world to attend these sporting events. And everyone’s happy with the hospitality, the setup, the experience that they get.”
“I don’t see it as an issue, to be honest. So I hope it’s not going to be an issue,” he added.