Saudi Arabia is expected to host the 2034 World Cup after football's world governing body FIFA confirmed Tuesday the Gulf state is the only bidder for the tournament.
Australia pulled out of the running on the final day of the period allotted to declare an interest, leaving Saudi Arabia certain to become the latest Asian hosts of the World Cup after Japan and South Korea co-hosted the 2002 tournament and Qatar last year.
The FIFA Council on Oct. 4 invited bids from Asia and Oceania and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation applied immediately. The Asian Football Confederation as a whole and the Japan Football Association subsequently announced their support.
The 2034 host is set to be confirmed at FIFA Congress in 2024 when the 2030 host is also expected to be announced.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco have confirmed their interest in co-hosting the World Cup in 2030 with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay also to host one match each to celebrate the tournament's centenary.
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