World Football governing body, FIFA has officially announced that Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 men’s World Cup.
Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa and Saudi Arabia’s minister of sports and youth Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal celebrated the announcement.
Meanwhile, of the 15 stadiums identified to hold matches at the 2034 World Cup, four have been built so far.
Fifa also confirmed that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be joint hosts for the 2030 tournament.
Three matches in the 2030 tournament will also be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark 100 years of the competition.
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The hosts for both World Cups were confirmed at Wednesday’s Extraordinary Fifa Congress meeting following a vote involving the 211 member nations represented at the meeting over a video link.
Nations gave their votes by ‘acclamation’ – clapping in front of their cameras via their video links.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino responded to criticism the organisation has received over the decisions.
“We are aware of critics and fears and I fully trust our hosts to address all open points,” he said.
“We have a transparency that will shape real and lasting change. That is what we expect and what we look forward to – social improvements and positive human rights impacts.
“That is one of the responsibilities of hosting a World Cup, and the world will of course be watching.”