2034 FIFA World Cup facts for kids

The 2034 FIFA World Cup will be the 25th FIFA World Cup. This is a huge international football tournament. It happens every four years. National teams from countries all over the world compete in it.

This World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. It was the only country that offered to host the event by FIFA's deadline in October 2023. This will be the second time the World Cup is held in the Middle East. The first time was in Qatar in 2022.

FIFA decided that only countries from Asia or Oceania could host the 2034 World Cup. This was because the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be held on three different continents. FIFA also made the bidding process much faster than usual. This meant other countries had less time to prepare their bids.

How the Host Was Chosen

The process to choose the host for the 2034 World Cup started on October 4, 2023. FIFA first said that countries needed seven stadiums that could hold at least 40,000 people. Later, they changed this rule. They said only four such stadiums were needed.

Because of how FIFA rotates where the World Cup is held, only countries from Asia or Oceania could bid. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in North America. The 2030 World Cup is in Africa, Europe, and South America. This meant the 2034 World Cup had to be in Asia or Oceania.

On October 31, 2023, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 World Cup. This is the third time an Asian country will host the World Cup. Japan and South Korea hosted in 2002. Qatar hosted in 2022.

FIFA made the bidding process for 2034 very quick. Countries only had 25 days to say if they wanted to host. Saudi Arabia announced its plan to host very quickly.

On December 11, 2024, FIFA officially confirmed Saudi Arabia as the host. This decision was made at a special FIFA meeting.

2024 Special FIFA Congress Meeting December 11, 2024 – Zürich, Switzerland
Nation	Round 1
Saudi Arabia	Approved

Countries That Wanted to Host

Saudi Arabia's Bid

Saudi Arabia first thought about bidding for the 2030 World Cup with Greece and Egypt. But they decided to focus on hosting the 2034 World Cup by themselves.

To deal with Saudi Arabia's hot summer weather, the tournament might be held in November or December. This is similar to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Saudi Arabia announced its bid on October 4, 2023. Many football groups quickly supported their bid.

On December 11, 2024, FIFA confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 Men's Football World Cup.

Other Countries That Considered Bidding

Several other groups of countries thought about bidding but later decided not to.

Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

The idea of a group of Southeast Asian countries hosting the World Cup came up as early as 2011. This group includes ten countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore.

FIFA rules meant that Asian countries could not bid for the 2030 World Cup. So, the earliest they could bid was for 2034. Leaders from these countries discussed a joint bid many times. They thought that at least two or three countries would need to work together. This is because the World Cup now has 48 teams.

In 2019, the Prime Minister of Thailand announced that all 10 ASEAN nations would try to host the 2034 World Cup together. This would have been the first time so many countries joined forces for a bid. However, they later did not submit a formal bid.

Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand also thought about a joint bid. They had already successfully co-hosted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Australia also considered bidding with Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.

However, Indonesia later decided to support Saudi Arabia's bid. On October 31, 2023, Football Australia announced that it would not bid for the 2034 World Cup. This left Saudi Arabia as the only country trying to host.

Where the Games Will Be Played

The list of stadiums was confirmed on July 31, 2024. The tournament will be held in five cities. These cities are Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and Neom. There will be 15 stadiums in total. Eleven of these stadiums will be brand new.

The King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh is expected to host the opening game and the final match.

There will also be two special fan areas in each host city. These are called FIFA Fan Festival locations. The draw for the teams' groups will happen at the Line Convention Center in The Line, Neom.

Teams and Qualification

How Teams Qualify

     Teams qualified     Team whose qualification process has yet to be decided     Teams failed to qualify     Teams withdrew or suspended     Not a FIFA member

See also

In Spanish: Copa Mundial de Fútbol de 2034 para niños

• Football in Saudi Arabia
• FIFA World Cup
• FIFA World Cup hosts