Which Saudi cities will host 2034 Fifa World Cup?

Saudi Arabia has unveiled a grand plan to host the 48-team 2034 World Cup at fifteen stadiums across five cities, including eight in the capital.

The kingdom, the sole bidder for the event, announced its plans after submitting an official bid to Fifa.

According to details of the bid book, carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the kingdom plans to host “the largest-ever” tournament in a single country.

Five cities are set to host the tournament – capital Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and Neom – the futuristic new city.

A total of 15 stadiums will be used, eleven of which will be new.

The showpiece venue for the tournament will be the new King Salman Stadium in Riyadh, which will be home to eight stadiums. The King Salman Stadium will accommodate more than 92,000 spectators and is expected to host the opening and final matches of the tournament.

Also, a 46,000-seat stadium in the Neom project along the Red Sea coast is “designed to stand out among the world’s most iconic landmarks,” according to the bid book.

The Neom stadium is set to link to a network of tram-like vehicles running in “horizontal transport corridors placed at 30, 150, 250, 350 and 450 metres above ground.”

The Saudi Gazette reported that the bid plan includes 10 other locations for training camps. Saudi Arabia also plan will have over 230,000 rooms across the five host cities, meeting Fifa's requirements. A total of 132 training venues across 15 cities are also proposed.

According to Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) president Yasser Al Misehal, the kingdom's bid to host the 2034 World Cup has received great support from over 140 countries.

“There is complete synergy and co-ordination among all government sectors to ensure the success of our bid to host this global event. We will deliver the best edition in the history of the World Cup on Saudi soil in 2034,” he said.

Saudi Arabia is looking to become only the second country in the Middle East to host the entire World Cup after Qatar in 2022.

After Morocco, Portugal and Spain were selected to share the hosting rights for the 2030 tournament, football's governing body handed the 2034 tournament hosting rights to bidders from the Asian and Oceania confederations.

After Australia opted out of hosting the tournament and no other country expressed an interest before the October deadline last year, Saudi Arabia emerged as the near-certain winner for hosting rights.

To host the 48-team World Cup, the kingdom needs 14 all-seater stadiums capable of holding at least 40,000 people. It currently has two: Jeddah's King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Riyadh's King Fahd International Stadium, which is undergoing a major refit.

However, Saudi Arabia has taken major strides in becoming the hub of top-class sports. It has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the Saudi Pro League and other high profile sports assets including golf, combat sports and tennis.

By the time the World Cup kicks off, the kingdom will have hosted the 2027 Asian Cup and even the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

In 2034, Riyadh will host the Asian Games – a two-week tournament with more events than the Summer Olympics and a similar number of athletes.