Saudi Arabia favourite to host 2034 World Cup after formally informing FIFA of its wish

Saudi Arabia formally informed FIFA of its wish to host the men's World Cup in 2034 on Monday in a bidding contest that increasingly looks designed for the kingdom to win.

The Saudi Arabian soccer federation said it "submitted a letter of intent and signed declaration to FIFA to bid" in a vote that is open only to members of the Asian and Oceania soccer governing bodies.

FIFA fast-tracked starting the 2034 contest last week after its ruling body also agreed to accept only one candidate for the 2030 World Cup — now an unprecedented six-nation, three-continent co-hosting plan in Europe, Africa and South America that removed those continents from bidding to get back-to-back tournaments.

The Spain-Portugal-Morocco-Argentina-Paraguay-Uruguay project in 2030 will follow the inaugural 48-team, 104-game tournament in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. That allows the 2034 edition to return to Asia 12 years after Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup.

Australian soccer officials have shown interest in the 2034 tournament after successfully co-hosting the 32-team women's edition with New Zealand two months ago, but they now have only eight weeks to produce a bidding agreement.

Australia also may be short of the FIFA-demanded seven existing stadiums on a minimum slate of 14 soccer-suitable venues of at least 40,000-seating capacity.

Saudi Arabia, which is preparing to host the 2027 Asian Cup, meets that FIFA criteria.

The Saudi Arabian soccer federation also cited public pledges of support from "over 70" of FIFA's 211 member federations.

The aim is "unlocking new football opportunities at all levels and commitment to support the growth of the game across all corners of the globe," said the Saudi federation, which has been