FIFA’s announcement last month that Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 World Cup may not have come as a surprise, as it became the sole contender after Australia pulled out of the race two years ago. But there were cheers all round in the kingdom, which sees the beautiful game strengthening its goal of becoming a global powerhouse. Saudia, the country’s flag carrier, celebrated by treating passengers on board more than 30 flights to special surprises as pilots shared the exciting news up in the air.

Saudi 34 will see the first-ever 48-team tournament in a single host country, with matches going on across 15 stadiums in Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Abha and NEOM. The 25th edition of the games will see action in a stadium 350m above ground level in yet-to-be-built NEOM, a futuristic city, reports say.

No date has been fixed for the kick-off but “the optimal timing” will be determined with stakeholders, taking into account the country’s desert climate, as happened with the Qatar edition. Thirty-two national teams competed between Nov 20 and Dec 18, 2022, and Argentina beat France to lift the coveted trophy.

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