Saudi Arabia confirmed as hosts of 2034 men’s World Cup, where is 2026 World Cup

The Middle East nation were the sole bidders for the finals in 10 years’ time, with an online FIFA Congress voting by acclamation in favour of their staging despite the huge controversy surrounding the bid.

The hosting rights for the centenary tournament in 2030 were rubberstamped at the same time, with Morocco, Portugal and Spain named as the principal co-hosts.

The opening match of that competition will be played in Uruguay, which hosted the inaugural 1930 finals, with the next two games to be staged in Argentina and Paraguay respectively before the rest of the tournament is played in the three main co-host countries.

However, Labour MP Andy Slaughter criticised the decision, saying that awarding Saudi Arabia is “complete sports-washing” over its “very poor human rights record”.

He said: “Saudi Arabia has a very poor human rights record particularly in relation to its excessive use of capital punishment. It would be wrong for a country with such a poor record on human rights to be rewarded by allowing it to host a major world event.”

Where is 2026 World Cup?

The tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This is the first time the World Cup will be hosted by three countries. It is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.