FIFA has officially announced that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the first time hosting for the Gulf nation. The decision, confirmed on Tuesday, December 10 follows Saudi Arabia’s submission of a bid that went uncontested.

For the 2030 tournament, matches will take place across six nations: Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. This arrangement will celebrate the centenary of the first FIFA World Cup, which was held in Uruguay in 1930.

“The FIFA World Cup is unique, and it is a unique catalyst as well for positive social change and unity because these tournaments, 2030, the celebration, 2034—they are tournaments to unite, not to divide. They are tournaments, of course, to discuss, to debate and to act. But most importantly, today, today is a day of unity and a day of celebration,” said Fifa’s President Gianni Infantino.

“And you, the 211 FIFA Member Associations that I can see on a giant screen in front of me, you are uniting the world. You are uniting the world truly, through football, because, of course, football unites the world,” he added.

Saudi Arabia’s successful bid elucidates their effort to be recognised in football, Formula 1, and golf. The tournament will feature 48 teams, continuing the expanded format introduced for the 2026 World Cup in North America.