Saudi Arabia is the only football association that presented a bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup before the deadline closed, the soccer’s global governing body said on Tuesday.

 

FIFA had set Tuesday as the deadline to submit a bid to host the tournament, but Australia’s decision to pull out leaves Saudi Arabia as the only declared candidate.

 

Australia said on Tuesday it would not be presenting a bid to host the tournament, leaving Saudi Arabia as the only candidate.

 

“We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the FIFA World Cup and – having taken all factors into consideration – we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” Football Australia (FA) said in a statement.

 

Australia's governing body Football Australia says it intends to focus its efforts on hosting the Women's Asian Cup in 2026 and the Club World Cup in 2029, reported BBC.

 

FIFA has yet to officially approve Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup, and this is expected to happen next year. A Fifa congress will confirm the hosts in late 2024.

 

Morocco, Portugal and Spain are the only bidders for the 2030 edition, with games also played in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, reported BBC.

 

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the US, Mexico and Canada.

 

"Three editions, five continents and 10 countries involved in staging matches in the tournament - that's making football truly global," Fifa president Gianni Infantino wrote on Instagram.

 

"As we live in an increasingly divided and aggressive world, we show once again that football, the leading global sport, unites like nothing else."

 

Football's world governing body 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.