The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has affirmed its commitment to meeting all the requirements set by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to secure the right to host the 2034 World Cup. This comes shortly after FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup. Infantino announced through his official Instagram account that the FIFA Council had approved Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the World Cup. FIFA revealed on Tuesday that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is the only entity to have submitted a proposal to host the 2034 World Cup by the designated deadline of October 31.
Here are the nine FIFA requirements from Saudi Arabia, the sole candidate to host the 2034 World Cup, related to the infrastructure for hosting the tournament:
- A minimum of fourteen proposed stadiums for matches.
- At least four of the proposed stadiums should be either existing, under construction, require refurbishment, or reconstruction while maintaining the main structural elements.
- Forty thousand seating capacity for group stage stadiums (excluding the opening match), round of 32, round of 16, quarter-finals, and the third-place match.
- Sixty thousand seating capacity for the semifinal stadiums.
- Eighty thousand seating capacity for the stadium hosting the final match.
- Stadium dimensions should be a length of 105 meters and a width of 68 meters.
- Provide 72 designated team training camp sites, each coupled with a hotel.
- Offer four suitable training sites at each stadium, each coupled with a hotel.
- At least two headquarters for the training camps of the referees (each coupled with a hotel).
If Saudi Arabia hosts the World Cup, it would be the second time in the history of the Middle East. The official announcement of the host country or countries for the 2034 World Cup is expected to be made during the FIFA conference in the fourth quarter of 2024.