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Saudi Arabia’s
Hammad Albalawi, Head of the Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup™ 2034 bid unit at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), explains the country's motivation for hosting the tournament in 2034, what fans can expect to find and how the world’s biggest sporting event fits in the wider transformation of the country.
First things first, why does Saudi Arabia want to host the FIFA World Cup™?
Well, it's quite simple, there are a lot of passionate football fans here. They follow domestic and regional leagues and the continental championships like the Copa Libertadores in South America and the European Champions League.
In the 1980s and 1990s, there was massive investment in Saudi football. The Saudi national team won the Asian Cup three times. We, as a nation, have since invested considerably in sport, not just football, as we seek to achieve the goals and ambitions of Vision 2030 of improving quality of life and helping create a happier and healthier population. Football remains the biggest and most influential sport in Saudi Arabia, so is a natural fit for continuing to drive these ambitions forward – and there could be no greater vehicle for that than hosting a FIFA World Cup™.
We now want to reinvest in a sport we love and bring Saudi Arabia back to where it belongs, among the top football nations.
By hosting the FIFA World Cup™ we're showcasing our love for the game and that's important for us. But we don’t want to wait until 2034. We're already investing in the Saudi Pro League and in many other parts of the football ecosystem and we'll continue to do so.
This is part of a holistic plan to develop sports more generally. In the past five years, we've hosted over 100 international sports events and welcomed almost three million guests. There's real interest from people all around the world to get to know this wonderful country, its people and its culture.
From a FIFA World Cup™ perspective, we believe we’re a fantastic fit for a host nation. We have the size, scale and backing to be the first single host country of a 48-team tournament, played out in what we hope will be some of the best football stadia ever built. We're also a well-placed global hub which can be reached within eight hours by 60% of the world’s population.
And then you've got that passion for football. It’s existed here for more than a century; we’ve proudly followed the Saudi National Team to six FIFA World Cups™ around the world. To bring our young people’s passion for the game to host nation duties would further contribute to what we believe would be an incredible tournament.
What makes Saudi Arabia a good place to host the tournament?
Vision 2030 is a national blueprint, not just to diversify our economy, but also to create a vibrant society and sport can play a massive role in that.
When we were conceptualizing our bid, we recognized there are so many amazing gigaprojects around the country that have been launched as part of Vision 2030 that have perfect synergy with our ambitions, not just to develop the sports sector, but also to bid for the biggest tournament in the world. And that's what we've done.
Look at Qiddiya, a gigaproject within Riyadh where they will create a multi-purpose arena that's truly exceptional. We're leveraging other amazing projects, including King Salman Park, Soudah Peaks in the south and Al-Balad in Jeddah, a beautiful historic site that's being redeveloped.
How does the World Cup fit in with the government’s Vision 2030 plans?
The stadiums symbolize a promise that we put forward in our bid book, which is to deliver a truly exceptional experience for fans. We will push boundaries, that's our commitment.
We want to have a compact footprint, to allow fans to engage as much as possible. Something we've picked up from observing other tournaments around the world is that the fan experience and the way they interact is something truly special. And I can tell you from experience, Saudi football fans bring everything to life.
We’ll also make transport more seamless. The average flight time between host cities in Saudi Arabia is two hours, and that's going to be a massive contribution to making their experience better. It will be a safe and friendly environment and, for families that want to bring their children, this is going to be a wonderful opportunity.
We encourage fans not to wait until 2034 to experience Saudi Arabia, but to come and visit now. The Riyadh derby between Al Hilal and Al Nassr is an exceptional match and the Jeddah derby between Al Ahli and Al Ittihad is one of the most passionate derbies anywhere in world football.
What can fans expect to find?
Football is the number one sport in the country. If you look at the number of clubs and pitches, we're behind the global benchmarks. Our ambition is to return to our previous highest ranking, surpass it, and then become a top 20 football nation.
From a national league perspective, our recent and ongoing investment has been significant as we attempt to elevate the Saudi Pro League to become a top ten league in the world. Bringing many of the biggest names in football helps us achieve this, as not only do they raise the level and quality of the league, but they help guide and improve our Saudi talent, too.
To do that, we need more pitches, more people playing and better player pathways. We also need better facilities and better stadiums and that's what we're going to deliver. We used to have 1,000 certified coaches across the country, but now we're up to over 6,000 and 1,000 of them are female. And we’ve introduced a new scouting network in schools with 100 coaches across the Kingdom identifying new talent.
What investments are being made in domestic football?
This is the biggest single-sport event in the world, but let's not forget that the Kingdom has hosted more than 100 international sports events in less than a decade, attended by three million fans. Saudi Arabia also sees more than two million people travel to the country for the few days of Hajj each and every year, too - so we're well equipped and well experienced when it comes to handling events of considerable scale.
In 2023 we hosted the FIFA Club World Cup™, bringing teams and fans to the country from all continents of the world to a tournament that was very well received, even hosting the FIFA Club World Cup's™ highest ever opening game attendance. We've also hosted the Spanish and Italian Super Cups, welcome the F1 Saudi Grand Prix to Jeddah each year, and have hosted many of the biggest bouts in boxing in recent years.
What challenges does an event on the scale of the FIFA World Cup™ present?
Legacy is vitally important - and we want ours to be three-pronged: across infrastructure, environment and people. We want the long-term impact of our hosting of a 2034 FIFA World Cup™ to be transformative in the history of the nation: Reshaping how our country is connected, delivering a new norm in sustainability, and both inspiring new lives for the Saudi Arabian people and instilling joy in fans and visitors from around the world.
We recently invited groups of school and university students so we could introduce the bid to them, and we saw their eyes light up. They didn’t talk about their aspirations for hosting the event, they’re looking forward to participating, whether as a player or, off the pitch, as an engineer, doctor or in other opportunities that are created.
The new stadiums will also unlock opportunities in other sectors. We will have amazing venues for concerts, and we will open the path for other sports to benefit from these venues. It's also going to be a wonderful showcase for people who have never been to Saudi Arabia, to understand what it has to offer.
What sort of legacy will the event leave?
Disclaimer: The Reuters news staff had no role in the production of this content. It was created by Reuters Plus, the brand marketing studio of Reuters. To work with Reuters Plus, contact us here.
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The promise of an exceptional global event
FIFA World Cup™ bid
FIFA World Cup™ bid
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The Reuters news staff had no role in the production of this content. It was created by Reuters Plus, the brand marketing studio of Reuters.
Produced by Reuters Plus for
Disclaimer: The Reuters news staff had no role in the production of this content. It was created by Reuters Plus, the brand marketing studio of Reuters. To work with Reuters Plus, contact us here.
Saudi Arabia is ready to welcome the world