On October 4, Beijing time, the FIFA Council confirmed that the 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, and the first three matches of this World Cup will be arranged to be held in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay as a tribute to the "Centennial World Cup". Spain, Morocco and Portugal will qualify directly for the 2030 World Cup finals, but Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will still need to play in the South American qualifiers.
Photo by IC photo
At the same time, FIFA also invited the AFC and the Oceania Football Federation regional associations to bid for the 2034 World Cup. After FIFA's invitation, the Saudi Football Association officially issued an announcement announcing that it would bid separately for the 2034 World Cup.
The Saudi Football Association said in the announcement that the bid for the 2034 World Cup is intended to dedicate a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia's ongoing social and economic transformation and the country's deep passion for football. The Saudi Football Association said that their upcoming Club World Cup 2023 and Asian Cup 2027 will provide experience in the country's bid to host the World Cup.
In this announcement, the Saudi Football Association once again mentioned the "Vision 2030", which is a strategic framework and reform plan proposed by Saudi Arabia at the national level, covering economic, social, educational, health, sports, science and technology and other levels, aiming to promote Saudi Arabia's development and modernization, get rid of the single-country economic structure that was overly dependent on energy export revenues in the past, and let Saudi Arabia diversify into industries. In Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan, the sports and football-related part mainly hosts 25 world competitions by 2030, including hosting the 2030 World Cup or the 2034 World Cup, and making the Saudi Premier League one of the world's top 10 professional leagues. The Saudi government has also publicly stated that vigorously developing sports will create investment opportunities, improve public health and develop sports infrastructure.
In the announcement, the Saudi Football Association said: "In line with Vision 2030, sport plays an important role in promoting economic growth and improving the quality of life of the people in Saudi Arabia, and has the unique ability to bring different cultures together. Saudi Arabia plans to offer an unprecedented experience and an event that brings joy to fans around the world. Since 2018, Saudi Arabia has been a key host of some of the world's biggest sporting events, including football, motor racing, tennis, equestrian, e-sports and golf.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and other stars have come to the Saudi Premier League to pan for gold According to IC photo
This season, the Saudi Premier League has attracted a large number of signings, which has attracted great attention from international football. After Ronaldo, Neymar, Benzema, Mane, N'Golo Kante, Henderson, Firmino, Kessie, Mahrez and a large number of other world-class stars have gone to the Saudi Premier League to pan for gold, which has greatly enhanced the influence of Saudi football. In terms of summer transfers this year, the Saudi Premier League spent a total of 950 million euros on transfer fees and a net expenditure of 890 million euros! Both figures rank second globally, behind the Premier League. All four Saudi clubs finished in the top 20 of the summer window club's total expenditure list, with Riyadh Crescent, which brought in Neymar, ranking second in the world, behind Chelsea. At the Saudi national team level, they also brought in coach Mancini.
Saudi FA President Arthur Al Misaijar said: "We believe it is time for Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup. Our bid came from a passion for football and wanted to see it grow and advance around the world. We want to celebrate our football culture and share our country with the world. We are actively embracing Saudi Arabia's passion for innovation and growth, and the Kingdom's transformation path is the driving force behind our bid. We promise to host an exceptional event that will engage players and fans and inspire future generations. ”
The Saudi Arabian Football Association also cited relevant data on the development and progress of Saudi football in recent years, the Saudi men's football team won the U23 Asian Cup, increased investment in youth football by 160%, opened 18 youth regional training centers, increased the number of registered coaches from 750 in 2018 to more than 5,500 today, and the number of registered men's and women's football players has increased by 56% and 86% respectively since 2021. Since 2019, Saudi Arabia has created the women's national team and the U17 national team, established two professional women's football leagues with 38 teams and a school women's football league, and the number of female coaches has increased by 800% in just two years.
"Saudi Arabia will host all (World Cup) matches, streamline travel, optimize match schedules, and offer unique fan experiences at host venues and cities." The Saudi Football Association promised in the announcement. If Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup is successful, it also means that after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the West Asian region will host the World Cup for the second time in 12 years. Sky Sports said only FIFA member associations in Asia and Oceania are eligible to bid for the 2034 World Cup. In recent years, ASEAN countries have been discussing the feasibility of a joint bid to host the 2034 World Cup, but have not yet officially issued a declaration of bidding. Sky Sports reported that Australia is also interested in bidding for the 2034 World Cup.
Red Star News reporter Jiang Shan
Edited by Ou Peng
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