Cristiano Ronaldo Throws Weight Behind Saudi Arabia’s Unopposed Bid for 2034 FIFA World Cup Hosting

Cristiano Ronaldo‘s role in Saudi Arabia extends beyond his domestic duties with Al Nassr. The Portuguese superstar is fervently extending his hand to the Gulf country, which is leveraging his influence to bring revolution to their sporting landscape. Once again, CR7 is ‘proud‘ to take responsibility on his shoulders for endorsing the nation’s hopes to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. 

The 39-year-old took to the social media platform X and posted Saudi Arabia’s 2-minute-long 2034 WC advert. He also wrote a caption saying, “Proud to support the dreams of a nation hoping to bring a FIFA World Cup to Saudi in 2034. We’re all #GrowingTogether! #Saudi2034Bid.” 

Notably, Saudi Arabia was the sole bidder to meet the deadline of October 31, 2023. Earlier, FIFA had limited the hosting eligibility to Asia or Oceania following its decision to spread the 2030 World Cup across three continents (Africa, Europe, and South America). This move was seen as clearing the way for Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 World Cup by greatly reducing potential competing bids. 

Later, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced the positive development for the Kingdom, marking the third time the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has hosted or will host the World Cup, following the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea and the 2022 tournament in Qatar. This also marks the second time the event will be held in the Middle East, following Qatar 2022.

Certainly, Ronaldo’s extra efforts for Saudi Arabia to host the 25th edition of the coveted tournament will undoubtedly help the Middle Eastern nation present its case effectively. Notably, this isn’t the first time he has backed the Kingdom to host the World Cup. 

Not the first time Cristiano Ronaldo has rallied for Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup 

Earlier, when Saudi Arabia had shown a keen interest in hosting the 2030 edition, they made substantial investments to secure Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation and offered a $25 million deal to Lionel Messi to boost their bid. However, their hopes suffered a setback when FIFA revealed that Morocco, Spain, and Portugal would host the 2030 edition. 

Additionally, they even chose to reconsider its ‘alcohol ban’ in a bid to amplify their chances to host the 2034 tournament. Fast forwarding to today, their sole bid, after Australia backed out at the last moment, effectively helped them secure the hosting rights for the 2034 edition. After Ronaldo, let’s see how they further strengthen their campaign.

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