Turkey joins growing global support for Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup bid

10.10.2023 - 08:11 thenationalnews.com

Turkey has become the latest country to throw its support behind Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup. Saudi Arabia last week announced its intention to host football's global finals in 11 years' time and on Monday the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) submitted their letter of intent to Fifa. "This move marks the first formal step in our bid process and confirms our complete commitment to #Saudi2034," the SAFF posted on social media. "This comes after SAFF received support from over 70 Member Associations around the world." Now the SAFF can count on the support of another association after the Turkish Football Federation released a statement on Monday night endorsing the kingdom's campaign. "The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) strongly supports Saudi Arabia's initiative to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup," the statement read. "Saudi Arabia has emerged as a footballing powerhouse in recent years, boasting a domestic championship that has garnered international attention due to its array of renowned football stars. "With a rich history of successfully organising international competitions, coupled with the memorable performance of their national team in the last World Cup held in Qatar, Saudi Arabia has firmly established itself as a capable and welcoming host nation. "The TFF is confident that Saudi Arabia possesses the expertise and passion required to excel in this challenging and prestigious endeavour." Among the countries to offer support, The National understands those include Thailand, Cuba, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has also officially declared its support for Saudi Arabia's bid. The host nation automatically qualifies for the global finals.

World Cup cup Qatar Turkey India Saudi Arabia Thailand Malaysia Philippines Cuba

India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that no change was made to the team's playing XI from the last match against New Zealand. As the Indian team geared up for the Cricket World Cup 2023 match against defending champions England, Ravichandran Ashwin remained on the bench, with the team management opting for three seamers and two spinners. There were suggestions that Ashwin could be included in the Indian team but the nature of the pitch and the conditions in Lucknow prompted Team India to go with an unchanged XI.

Tyson Fury tries to provoke Francis Ngannou at weigh-in before Saudi Arabia fight

RIYADH: Tyson Fury compared himself to Novak Djokovic after going face-to-face with Francis Ngannou at their weigh-in on Friday. The towering Brit dismissed the punching threat posed by Ngannou, a former UFC star who will make his professional boxing debut Saturday at age 37. “It’s like a table tennis champion facing Djokovic in the Wimbledon final — totally different,” the WBC heavyweight champion said. The 35-year-old Fury weighed-in at 277.7 pounds while his Cameroonian opponent was 272.1 pounds after both men stepped on the scale in street clothes. Moments later, Fury pushed his forehead into Ngannou, who responded with a chest-bump to give himself some space. “I have played this game so long. This can’t get to me.

Saudi Arabia should bid for 2035 Women's World Cup: Staab

LONDON: Saudi Arabia should bid to host the Women's World Cup in 2035, the country's technical director of women's football Monika Staab said on Thursday.

Tom Latham Equals Brendon McCullum's Record For New Zealand In World Cup

New Zealand batter Tom Latham joined iconic Brendon McCullum for the highest number of fifties as a wicketkeeper for the Kiwis in the World Cup. Latham's measured knock played a crucial role in taking New Zealand's score to 288-6 during their clash against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Latham struck 68 off 74 balls to push the Kiwis to a competitive total. This was the third time in his career he struck a score of more than 50 in the World Cup for New Zealand.

Saudi 2034 World Cup bid boosted by full AFC support, FIFA’s Asian tournament pledge

GENEVA: Saudi Arabia’s FIFA-favored bid to host the men’s World Cup in 2034 passed on Wednesday one of the few barriers left in what seems an inevitable win. One week after revealing talks with Australia about bidding to co-host the 2034 World Cup, Indonesian soccer leader Erick Thohir said his federation is now with Saudi Arabia. Thohir’s change of plan was detailed in a statement on the Indonesian soccer federation website hours before an online meeting of the Asian Football Confederation, whose 47 members include Australia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. During the meeting, FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged AFC members to “be united for the 2034 World Cup.” Infantino has long been a close ally of Saudi soccer and the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and FIFA’s surprise decision two weeks ago to fast-track bidding for the 2034 men’s tournament was seen as favorable for them. AFC members responded quickly to Infantino’s urging and the Japan federation proposed united support behind the Saudi bid backed by Uzbekistan, Lebanon and India. “Japan has a plan to host the FIFA World Cup by 2050 but now it’s time for Asia to get united and make a single bid (for 2034),” Japanese federation official Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said, praising Saudi Arabia for a “long football history, massive passion and a wonderful vision for 2034.” Australian officials did not take part in the online discussion. After an initial technical problem connecting to the meeting, Saudi federation president Yasser al Misehal said: “It’s always known that Asia is always united.” “We have been overwhelmed by a huge number of supporting letters, announcements from all over the world.

Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup Bid Boosted After This Decision

One week after revealing talks with Australia about bidding to co-host the 2034 World Cup, Indonesian soccer leader Erick Thohir said on Wednesday that his federation now supports Saudi Arabia. Thohir's change of plan was detailed in a statement on the Indonesian soccer federation website hours before an online meeting of the Asian Football Confederation, whose 47 members include Australia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. During the meeting, FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged AFC members to "be united for the 2034 World Cup."