December 4 – Having already sparked widespread disbelief at being fast-tracked as the sole candidate to stage the 2034 World Cup – they will officially be rubber-stamped as hosts on December 11 – it is now seems highly likely that Saudi Arabia will become the second country to stage the event in winter, following in the footsteps of Qatar.
The Saudis’ official position is they would be prepared to hold the tournament any time of the year, which is exactly the same political line Qatar originally took, with the final decision being the responsibility of FIFA and its members.
The 2022 decision to switch to winter play was publicly driven by then UEFA president and FIFA executive committee member Michel Platini (who back then was current FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s boss).
It caused bitter confrontation between football’s stakeholders and caused chaos and disruption to the global football calendar, and particularly domestic clubs and leagues.
There is growing speculation that the Saudi World Cup in 2034 will inevitably follow suit,
FIFA 2034 bid evaluation report even highlighting the likelihood of the competition being played “between October-April” due to “local climatic conditions”.
It would be the second tournament in 12 years to be switched to winter play.
So far football’s key stakeholders – leagues and clubs who provide, pay and release the players for FIFA’s tournament – have refused to issue official comment, though ‘yet’ was frequently used in response to Insideworldfootball enquiries.
Most observers had always assumed Qatar’s winter world cup would be a one-off, but FIFA is clearly comfortable with dispensing with tradition once again because of the region’s fierce summer heat.
The one key difference is that 2034 will most likely to be staged in January rather than Oct-Nov, to avoid a clash with Ramadan. In 2034, Ramadan falls between November 11 and December 10.
When Qatar staged 2022, seasons were extended and major leagues closed down for a month to accommodate the tournament. By 2034, the tournament will have grown from 32 to 48 teams and a 104-game World Cup format takes 38 days to play. All of which means European football could once again grind to a halt mid-season but for even longer than Qatar’s month-long pause.
FIFA played down such concerns in its evaluation report.
“Should the [Saudi] bid be successful, any decision regarding the timing of the competition would take these matters into consideration when seeking to provide optimal conditions for teams and spectators,” it said.
FIFA added that it is “important to consider religious events in determining the timeline for the competition. Ramadan, the annual Muslim period of fasting and prayer, and the yearly Hajj pilgrimage, when more than 1.5 million pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia from around the world, would have to be taken into account.”
As FIFA grapples with the scheduling, the International Olympic Committee has come to its aid.
Scheduling the 2034 World Cup back-to-back with the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Games would pose “no risk” to the Olympics, a senior IOC official said Tuesday.
“We don’t see at this stage a major issue. On the contrary, it is a lot of sport in the time frame,” Christophe Dubi, the International Olympic Committee executive director for the games, said at an online briefing after a board meeting, suggesting two major sports events close together would be “a real feast” for fans.
The IOC’s stance removes a potentially awkward clash, all grist to the mill for FIFA president Gianni Infantino in his efforts to build a close working relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and make sure the Saudis get what they want. No matter how it affects the rest of the global game’s eco-system.
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