The World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2034.This comes after competitor bidder Australia dropped out on deadline day, leaving the Middle Eastern country with no competition. In September, Saudi Arabia announced their bid to host the 2034 World Cup. The Middle Eastern country has been vying for this for a while now. It all started with Cristiano Ronaldo signing for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
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Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 project aims to transform his country. This includes the construction of a whole new £1 TRILLION mega-city, which might end up hosting the entire World Cup.
A report on SunSport exclusively revealed last month that Saudi Arabia, a devout Muslim country, is even considering lifting its alcohol restriction in order to lure football fans from around the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo effect helps Saudi land FIFA World Cup
This was the vision of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman too. To build the sport and ensure that football is growing in Saudi Arabia, a lot of money was pumped into the footballing ecosystem. It all started with Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Having someone of the stature of Cristiano Ronaldo was going to pull eyeballs to the Saudi League. After that major coup, in the summer transfer window of 2023, the Saudi League went berserk. They went above and beyond and signed a multitude of players and the League has opened up.
The likes of Neymar Jr, Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, etc joined Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi this summer. This has helped fans all over the world to watch the Saudi League with piqued interest. As the years go on and we get closer to the world cup, the quality of the League will keep getting better too.
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Cristiano Ronaldo moved at a time wherein there was a lot of talk regarding his move. The whole talk of the town was that Ronaldo has ended his career. But, looking at how Saudi football has evolved and now, are going to host the 2034 World Cup too, it looks like a smart gamble from CR7 to move to the Middle East.
In all practicality, Cristiano Ronaldo might not be around playing by the time the 2034 World Cup rolls around. But, Ronaldo, and all the players playing in the Saudi League right now can definitely help promote the World Cup in its build-up.
It is safe to say that Saudi Arabia have achieved their goals until now. All the eyes are on their League. They have finally got the right to hold the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Now, it will be interesting to see if they will be able to do justice with the tournament. Only time will tell.
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