June 23 – Saudi Arabia is no longer in the running to stage the 2030 World Cup and will instead concentrate on 2034, according to a Spanish newspaper.
The Saudis have long been linked with a joint bid with Greece and Egypt for 2030 but Marca says interest has been withdrawn because the trio consider it impossible to compete against the Uefa-backed counter-bid from Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
There has also been a growing feeling amongst federation presidents, who will vote for the next host, that if it was another World Cup in the Middle East it would likely have to be played at the end of the year again (rather than the traditional June-July slot) and that it is too soon after the Qatar 2022 World Cup to bring that kind of reconfiguration to the global football calendar again.
A South American quartet of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay is also bidding for what is the competition’s centenary.
The successful bid will be announced in September 2024
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