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Saudi Arabia To Host 2034 Soccer World Cup

max goldbart
·1 min read

Saudi Arabia has been confirmed as host of the 2034 soccer World Cup.

The tournament will come just 12 years after Qatar hosted the world’s biggest global soccer tournament.

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In the past half hour, Saudi Arabia has been confirmed by the sports governing body FIFA. Saudi Arabia ran unopposed for the tournament after FIFA tweaked the rules and brought forward the deadline, and so the outcome was wholly expected. The nation has said it will embark on an enormous construction project with 11 new stadiums required to support a World Cup that will feature 48 teams.

The decision has already been widely condemned by human rights organizations, who cite the abuse and deaths of migrant workers and suppression of the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people in the country. Similar criticism was leveled at Qatar before 2022, with question marks remaining throughout the tournament.

Meanwhile, the 2030 World Cup was confirmed to be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco but with the first few games taking place in South America to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tournament. The 1930 tournament was hosted in Uruguay.

Last World Cup in Qatar was won by Lionel Messi’s Argentina, beating France in the final. The next one will take place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 2026.

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