On March 1 Saudi Arabia formally launched its bid for the men's FIFA World Cup 2034 edition. While it may be the only bidder, the start of the formal bid process is, nonetheless, an important milestone in what is a deeply strategic move for the country. Let's explore the key strengths of the bid and why it's a smart move for Saudi Arabia to move forward this way. I'll focus this article specifically on the Host Nation view and benefits but I'll soon post another perspective that explores this bid in the context of the broader global football ecosystem.
As a global sports and events leader and past FIFA executive I have been closely following the latest slate of hosting and bid announcements for upcoming FIFA World Cup editions. The politics, tactics, and outcomes have been incredibly interesting to follow and it has been an enriching experience to help advance some of these initiatives. There is one bid process I've been watching particularly closely, that of Saudi Arabia. So it was with great anticipation that I followed the media storm on March 1 resulting from the Saudi decision to formally launch its bid.
In looking at this initiative over the past few months I'm convinced that it's an excellent idea and a smart move for Saudi Arabia.
My analysis and conclusions come down to a few key elements which I'll describe below.
First off, hosting the FIFA World Cup is a smart next step when considering Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 agenda. The slogan: "Growing. Together." could just as easily have been the Vision 2030 slogan - it shows the close alignment at the highest messaging level. The move makes even more sense when you look at the three pillars underpinning the Vision 2030 agenda: a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation. It is evident that the ability to host a World Cup will enhance and advance all three pillars. The economic impacts, while likely positive, may not be as significant when compared with other Vision 2030 initiatives - here Saudi Arabia has much more ambitious plans that dwarf any economic impacts of a World Cup. More interesting, in my view, is the impact that such a move will have on building a vibrant society and an ambitious nation. Hosting a FIFA World Cup - particularly in the new expanded format - has the effect of instantly turning your nation into a global hub for the leadup and duration of the tournament. This fits well with the country's multilateral and external strategies. Moreover, the men's FIFA World Cup is one of the most complex global events for a nation to host - so much so that other parts of the world are now increasingly turning to multinational consortia to get the job done. So the opportunity to host, and to do so on your own, is a clear sign of an ambitious - and capable - nation.
My assessment of the existing football and transport infrastructure in Saudi Arabia has concluded that there is actually a relatively small capacity gap between what the FIFA World Cup tournament footprint will require and what the Saudis already have on offer. Consistent and sustained state and private funding for sports (particularly football) has resulted in a fairly healthy inventory of existing stadiums. Riyadh and Jeddah already possess venues which could easily host an opener or final match with minimum overlay investments. The ongoing upgrade of King Fahd Sports City stadium will further enhance this existing capability but must consider FIFA requirements, particularly given the existing 400m track. Four additional stadiums could fairly quickly be retrofitted to meet FIFA Category 1 requirements. Current scheduling guidelines for the expanded tournament format, and indeed the bid documents for future FIFA World Cups, envisage around 16 stadiums (called Competition Venues in FIFA slang). In 10 years that's a fairly small gap for a country of this size to plug and nothing when compared to challenges experienced by Qatar in 2022.
On the transport infrastructure side the gaps are even smaller. Saudi Arabia has sufficient airport capacity to handle the expanded visitor traffic and with the annual Hajj pilgrimage they have extensive experience in dealing with significant amounts of visitors. Again, this is very different than the Doha-centric model in Qatar in 2022 where the airport had initially been designed for connecting traffic and lacked the arrival capacity into Doha. Other transport considerations are also much simpler to overcome. The country has an extensive road and rail infrastructure and well designed city transport links such as the Riyadh metro, which is now coming online.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation and the bid leadership team, have also been smart planners, giving significant strategic and tactical thought to the bid process and what it will take to host a FIFA World Cup. This is critical, and surprisingly few potential hosts really think about what a bid, let alone a successful bid, will mean for them and their nation.
This is evident from the impact section of the Saudi bid site. The Saudis also have a strong track record of delivering on their event commitments. Moreover, the growth in their Sports sector is clearly linked to the Vision 2030 agenda meaning that, in addition to the funds they will commit to the FIFA World Cup as an event, they were also already going to spend resources on expanding grassroots and commercial capacity in the sector. This will result in a multiplier effect that will benefit the tournament.
The Saudi National Gaming and eSports Strategy, which has earmarked roughly $38B for investments, should also not be overlooked. This initiative is in the nexus of convergence between physical and virtual sports - and it's increasingly becoming a critical strategic consideration for the entertainment industry. The timing of this means that 2034 could potentially result in a convergence of eSports and the FIFA World Cup. This is significant since it may be a potential answer to the age old issue plaguing FIFA - the question of what comes next after conventional broadcast rights cease being relevant and the sponsorship well runs dry?
Another key consideration - particularly for FIFA - will be the overall sustainability vision and strategy. While this would not be a deal breaker in a single bid scenario, it is an important element of the bid process. Here Saudi Arabia will want to focus on the strides already made within the country (as an indicator of commitment) and also link the sustainability strategy with the Vision 2030 priorities. On a more micro lens (focused on the tournament itself) the question of sustainable stadium construction (no doubt well informed by the latest FIFA Stadium Guidelines - which I covered in an earlier article), green energy, recycling during the tournament, and hybrid vehicles will need to be fleshed out.
Saudi Arabia already has a good pool of talent with strong experience in the delivery of elite sporting events. The Saudi elite event portfolio includes the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, LIV Golf, the Saudi Cup, among others. They also recently hosted the FIFA Club World Cup which, while not a major event in itself, is an indication that FIFA is starting to measure their World Cup delivery capability and establishing initial operating level people contacts. That means that a good basis for the operational delivery talent needed for a FIFA World Cup is already there. The focus should shift to supplementing domestic capacity with the correct mix of experience from the global pool.
In speaking with potential hosts I can't overstress the importance of proper planning, good governance, clear accountabilities, and strong talent acquisition at the onset, as key pillars of success. The most important among these is securing good talent with relevant and broad international experience. Having built and led many such teams I am often struck by some of the errors that nations (and even FIFA itself) make when they hire for such events. Two key lessons come to mind:
The observation here is that getting the right people, particularly at the strategic leadership posts is key. In fact, getting the staffing mix right is the most important decision a host entity can make.
You get the right people on the team from day one and you'll easily succeed. If you get those initial hires wrong, you'll end up replacing them and starting over with significantly less time on the clock. That is a recipe for disaster.
Here, again, I think that the Saudis are thinking about this exactly the right way and have engaged in dialogue with experts to ensure that they take the right steps in identifying top talent for the 2034 bid and planning phases. The challenge they'll encounter will be direct competition with the 2026 and 2030 World Cup editions and the fact that the overall talent pool at the strategic leadership level is surprisingly sparse. For the 2026 World Cup, the team is right now getting ready to massively staff up as they move from planning to the pre-tournament operations phase. Fortunately the 2030 edition is further behind and currently still in the phase of sorting out governance, cooperation, and high level issues.
Last, I want to turn briefly to the legacy of hosting a FIFA World Cup. This can be a complex issue as evidenced in Brazil and South Africa. In Qatar, while legacy plans were established, the jury is still out on whether the delivery of legacy (beyond transport and city infrastructure updates) was a success.
For Saudi Arabia I think there is true potential to achieve a sustainable legacy plan. Here's why:
As highlighted above I think the Saudis have been smart in moving forward with their bid. It's a strategic move, it's aligned with their national vision, and it's something that will benefit the nation in the long-term. As opposed to many previous bids, bringing the FIFA World Cup to Saudi Arabia is a single piece on a much larger national and geopolitical chess board.
When I was at FIFA we used to wonder whether the World Cup had grown so large and complex to execute that it had perhaps outgrown the capabilities and economic capabilities of individual nations. I think that the Saudis, with this bid, show that this is clearly not the case.