Australia Could Challenge Saudi Arabia’s World Cup Hopes With Joint Bid

Despite the many signs that Saudi Arabia will ultimately host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the aid of three countries from Southeast Asia could boost Australia’s bid for the tournament.

Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are interested in collaborating with Australia on a joint bid in 2034. While Australia is geographically set in the Oceania region, it is a member of the Asian confederation, along with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, as well as Saudi Arabia.

FIFA has requested that nations from the Asian and Oceania Football Confederations submit bids, and Saudi Arabia is the only one to do so so far. A newly relaxed stadium policy brought up speculation that FIFA is favoring a Saudi Arabian bid. 

Other interested parties must submit their proposals by the end of this month.

Australia hosted this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup with New Zealand and has expressed interest in the men’s tournament, too. New Zealand has also said it would like to be a part of a future men’s World Cup. Right now, it is unclear if Australia would move forward with any joint bid, or if New Zealand would join the Southeast Asian nations in support.

Joint bids have become a growing trend, with the next two World Cups and two future UEFA Euros set to take place across multiple countries. Saudi Arabia had originally bid on the 2030 World Cup with Egypt and Greece, but it is vying for the 2034 event by itself.