THE Nigeria Football Federation has thrown its weight behind Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034 and congratulated Morocco for being a part of the 2030 event.
Saudi Arabia announced its intention to host the biggest single-sport tournament in the world yesterday moments after FIFA invited bids from countries in Asia and Oceania for the 2034 edition.
Also yesterday, FIFA announced that the centenary World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with Argentina, Paraguay and the hosts of the inaugural edition in 1930, Uruguay, also hosting games in a unique arrangement.
“We believe the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the infrastructure and facilities to stage a spectacular FIFA World Cup in 2034,” NFF president Ibrahim Gusau said of the Saudi Arabia bid, even as Australia is also considering bidding.
Morocco had made several previous attempts to win the hosting rights for the football showpiece, including for the 1994, 1998 and 2010 editions which went to United States of America, France and South Africa respectively.
Gusau said today that the North African country has finally been deservedly rewarded.
“The NFF is celebrating with the Government and people of Morocco for the success of their tripartite bid with Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup,” he said today.
“We have no doubt that the tournament will be a huge success, as the stadia infrastructure and other relevant facilities are already there on ground, and the country has an established culture of hosting major tournaments.
“The whole of Africa is excited at the prospect of the continent hosting the FIFA World Cup for the second time.”
USA, Mexico and Canada will stage the next World Cup in 2026, in which 48 teams will feature, up from the 32 that played in Qatar in 2022.
