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Key Points
- Football Australia will not bid for the country to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
- Saudi Arabia is tipped to host the tournament, with the support of the Asian Football Confederation and Indonesia.
- Australia will attempt to secure hosting rights for cups closer to home, building on the Matildas’ momentum.
“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 said in a statement on Tuesday.
Football Australia sets sights on women’s tournaments
“Instead, we believe we are in a strong position to host the oldest women’s international competition in the world, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026,” FA said, referencing a tournament Saudi Arabia has also bid on.
FA said that would be “underpinned by the opportunity for our men’s and women’s teams to compete at major tournaments” – both World Cups, Asian Cups, Olympics and under-20 World Cups.
How did Saudi Arabia become the front runner to host in 2034?
Within minutes, the president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation Yasser Al Misehal said the “time was right” for the country to host.
Australia was hopeful when Indonesia’s football association flagged interest in a joint bid, before they opted to back Saudi Arabia.
Last time Australia attempted to host a men’s world cup, the $46 million bid to host the 2022 tournament received just one vote of support.
The Spain-Portugal bid grew to add Morocco this year and now plans to have one game played in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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