Football Australia said on Tuesday that Australia will not apply for the FIFA World Cup 2034 after considering “all factors.” As a result, Saudi Arabia will host the event. FIFA has solicited proposals for the tournament from Asia and Oceania, with an Oct. 31 deadline.
“We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the FIFA World Cup and – having taken all factors into consideration – we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” FA said in a statement.
James Johnson, the CEO of Football Australia, had previously shown interest in bidding for 2034. The governing board, however, stated that it will concentrate on bids for other international events.The governing body stated that it will prioritise applications for the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and the Club World Cup in 2029.
Only minutes after FIFA issued a request for proposals from Asia and Oceania earlier this month, Saudi Arabia confirmed its intention to bid for 2034. The Asian Football Confederation’s president praised Saudi Arabia’s candidature. He stated that “the entire Asian football family” will support it.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) approved the Saudi candidature, thereby eliminating Football Australia’s ambitions of following this year’s Women’s World Cup, which it co-hosted with New Zealand.
When Indonesia’s football organisation expressed interest in a combined candidature with Australia earlier this month, there looked to be a ray of optimism. However, that vanished when they eventually endorsed Saudi Arabia.
Instead, Australia will seek to host the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. The latter is a tournament for which Saudi Arabia has also bid.
The last time Australia sought to host a men’s World Cup, the $46 million proposal won only one vote of support. After FIFA allowed just one applicant for 2030, neither Asia or Oceania may bid for 2034. This year, the Spain-Portugal proposal expanded to include Morocco, and it now aims to play one game in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
