Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Here's everything that's confirmed — the format, the cities, the likely winter dates and what comes next.
The 2034 FIFA World Cup is heading to Saudi Arabia. Confirmed by the FIFA Congress in December 2024 as the sole bidder, it will be the first World Cup hosted in the kingdom and only the second in the Middle East after Qatar 2022.
The format
2034 keeps the expanded 48-team, 104-match structure first used at the 2026 World Cup: 12 groups of four, with 32 teams advancing to the knockout stage.
Five host cities
The Saudi bid names Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha and the futuristic megacity NEOM, with 15 stadiums planned. Riyadh's King Salman International Stadium (~92,000) is set to host the final.
A likely winter World Cup
Because of extreme summer heat, the tournament is widely expected to be played in the winter of 2034 — similar to Qatar 2022 — though FIFA has not confirmed exact dates.
Saudi Arabia qualify automatically
As hosts, Saudi Arabia book their place automatically. All other berths come through the confederation qualifiers.
Read more
See our full 2034 FIFA World Cup guide for cities, stadiums and FAQs — and compare it with the 2030 World Cup. Live action from the current tournament is on NinetyMins.