The World Cup will return to the Middle East in 2034 with Saudi Arabia favorite to win the bidding race after Australia withdrew their bid.
Australia FA reportedly pulled out of the bidding race at the death leaving Saudi Arabia as the only nation bidding to host the tournament.
Australia’ decision to withdraw from the race came just hours before FIFA deadline for interested countries to express their interest in hosting the tournament.
The deadline was slated for October 31, 2023 and it has been confirmed Australia have pulled out.
“We have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” read a statement from Football Australia.
Australia’s governing body says it intends to focus its efforts on hosting the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and the Club World Cup in 2029.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Morocco, Portugal and Spain will host the 2030 tournament, with matches also in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Fifa had said the 2034 World Cup would be held in Asia or Oceania, and an Australian bid was regarded as the only potential challenger to Saudi Arabia, which announced its intention to bid shortly after Fifa’s decision.
Saudi Arabia have gotten the backing of Asian Football Association to host the tournament but their bid has raised eyebrows and has been deemed controversial due to their human right records.
Their attempt to host the tournament has been blasted by Western media as a subtle ploy to sportwash and deviate the attention of the international community from their worsening human rights issues.
Qatar successfully hosted 2022 World Cup despite initial objections by Western FAs. It is believed FIFA will use the Qatar successful experiment as a buffer against critics.
