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Saudi Arabia is hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup. FIFA formally confirmed the kingdom as host on the 11th of December 2024, at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress in Zürich, Switzerland, following what FIFA described as an uncontested bidding process.
FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia as host on the 11th of December 2024, during an Extraordinary FIFA Congress in Zürich, Switzerland, where delegates settled the vote by acclamation in the first round.
Fifteen stadiums across five cities, Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Neom and Abha, are planned to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Five of the stadiums will be renovated and ten will be newly built, including the 92,760-capacity King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh.
Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the conditions migrant workers face under the kafala system. Reported concerns include the death of migrant worker Muhammad Arshad in March 2025 and a United Nations complaint filed by ITUC-Africa over the treatment of African migrant workers.
The selection is controversial because FIFA restricted eligible hosts to Asia and Oceania shortly after awarding the 2030 World Cup to three other continents, a move The New York Times reported FIFA president Gianni Infantino helped orchestrate. FIFA also gave interested nations only 25 days to declare bidding intent, and Saudi Arabia was the only nation to do so.
The exact dates have not been finalized, but Saudi Arabia's hot summer climate makes a shift to cooler months likely, similar to Qatar's November-December schedule for the 2022 World Cup. Because the tournament may also need to avoid Ramadan, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said he is open to moving the 2034 World Cup into January 2035.