Why Did Australia Pull Out of Bidding Race Giving Saudi Arabia the Entire Hosting Rights For 2034 FIFA World Cup?

In a surprising turn of events, the Australian Football Association has pulled out of the race for the hosting rights of the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia will probably become the host, with the nation left as the sole contender in the bidding race. While it may be troublesome for the fans to understand the reason behind Australia’s decision, there are a lot of layers to unravel.

In addition, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, during his latest media scrum, announced that Saudi Arabia will serve as the sole host for the FIFA World Cup in 2034. The nation and its diplomats have been very keen on hosting the event. From the looks of it, Saudi Arabia seems like they have got their desires granted.

Australia makes way for Saudi Arabia with a surprising decision

FIFA, as per their norms, had opened the official bidding for the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup. FIFA members from Asia and Oceania were all allowed to bid for the hosting rights. However, no country apart from Saudi Arabia has lodged an official bid to host the event. Therefore, the decision comes off as a big surprise for the soccer fraternity, who expected nations across the continent to compete for the hosting rights.

Significantly, the Australian Soccer Federation chief executive, James Johnson, recently touched down on the country’s decision to not compete for the hosting rights. Johnson, in a call with journalists, mentioned that it was challenging for the country to host the event, considering the resources available.

He stated, “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. We’re adults and we just try to roll with it and deal with the cards that we have been given. I think there will be some goodwill created by not going for 2034.”

As a result, Australia’s decision to back out from the bidding opened the doors for Saudi Arabia. In other words, the nation now remains the only candidate in a one-horse race. With all paths clear to their contention, FIFA President Gianni Infantino wasted no time making the official announcement.

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Gianni Infantino makes a massive statement for 2034 FIFA World Cup

Moreover, FIFA earlier this year announced that they were accepting bids from the members of Asia and Oceania to host the World Cup. However, several members backed out from the race to host the event. Saudi Arabia is now set to host the event after remaining as the final bidder for the contest.

Surprisingly, FIFA President Gianni Infantino wasted no time in making the official announcement. Infantino stated that the nation will host the decorated event for the first time in its history. He mentioned, “The next two editions of the FIFA World Cup are set to be hosted in Africa (Morocco) and Europe (Portugal and Spain) – with three celebratory matches played in South America (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) – in 2030 and in Asia (Saudi Arabia) in 2034.”

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“The bidding processes were approved by consensus via the FIFA Council. Where all six confederations are represented – after constructive dialogue and extensive consultation. Thank you to everyone who has participated in this positive exchange.”

Saudi Arabia has been on full throttle to turn the nation into a sporting superpower. The country has emerged as a top destination for soccer stars around the world. Moreover, the Saudi Pro League has seen a rapid rise in recent months. The recent transfer window saw multiple Saudi clubs shell out massive funds to secure top talents across Europe. To sum up, do you think they will host a sensational World Cup like Qatar?